Angels on Earth
by Spreadlight
Summary: Years have passed since Leah and Ethan's last parting. Both have gone on with their own separate lives. Then one day, Leah's only daughter visits Nappanee, and once again, the Amish and English meet...only this time, will things end well?
1. Part I: Return to Nappanee

Continuation on Lurlene McDaniel's ANGELS trilogy

"Sarah!" Leah Lewis-Hall Logan hollered from the kitchen.

"Yeah, Mom? Coming!" Leah's daughter, Sarah Logan, ran downstairs, taking the steps two at a time. She rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs, and nearly crashed into a floating basket of laundry.

"Mom?" Sarah asked, confused. Leah set down the basket of clothing and smiled at her daughter, hands on her hips.

"Hello, little fleet-foot. Want to help me with the laundry?"

"Sure!" Sarah picked up one end of the basket, and Leah grabbed the other. Together, they headed into the living room, where they dumped the clothes on one side of the beige leather couch.

Sarah grabbed a large green T-shirt and began folding it. First she tucked the sleeves back, then she folded the shirt in half, then into a square. She hummed as she worked, quickly reducing the large pile of laundry. In a mere matter of moments, the chore was done. Leah sat back on her heels and opened her arms to Sarah.

"What will I do without you?" she murmured, hugging her daughter tightly. Involuntarily, a small tear slipped from her eye and splashed on her daughter's long dark hair. Sarah felt it, and leaned back to look at her mom sternly.

"Mommy, you promised you wouldn't cry. And besides, I won't be gone so long. It's only for a while. You're the one who suggested the trip, remember? But of course, I can still stay if you want me to. It's not that big of a deal."

Leah wiped her eyes with one hand and shook her head. "No. I _want _you to go. It will do you good to get out of here for a while."

"It would do me good to get out of here with _you _for a while, too." Sarah pointed out.

Leah smiled slightly. "You've been hanging around with no one _but _me for a year. Ever since…" Leah's voice broke, but she swallowed and continued, "Anyhow, I think you need to go out a bit on your own. See the world, make some friends, that sort of thing."

"But Mom, _you're _my friend—"

"I know that, darling, but you need some friends of your own. You can't keep shutting out the world, you know. You need some time alone to figure things out. We've been through this before."

"I _know _we've been through this before." Sarah sighed. "So why are you still crying?"

"Because I'll miss you. Can't a mother miss her daughter?" Leah asked indignantly.

"Yeah, Mom, but I haven't even _gone _yet. Don't you think you'd rather have me hang around a few more months, or maybe a year? By then I'll be ready for college."

Leah laughed. "Right. You'll hang around a few more months, and when graduation rolls around, you won't be able to leave. No, Sarah. My mind is made up."

"Alright, Mom. Whatever you say." Sarah sighed again.

"That's right. Whatever I say." Leah leaned over to tickle her daughter. "Now lighten up. You're too serious. Why don't we go out and rent a movie or something?"

"I can't. I have to pack for my trip, remember?" Sarah watched her mother closely to gauge her reaction. Leah's face fell a bit, but then she straightened up and said brightly, "Of course! How could I forget? Just a minute ago, here I was, bawling my eyes out about you leaving me in two days, and now I totally forget that you actually need to pack!" Leah smiled at Sarah, who rolled her eyes theatrically.

"Mom. You weren't exactly _bawling_. And it's not that big of a deal. I'm just heading to north Indiana for a while. No need for heavy packing. If I really need something, I can always buy it. Besides, Daddy taught me how to live sparsely, remember…?" Sarah paused to take a deep, shuddering breath, then put up a brave smile for her mom's sake. "So, I can come movie-watching with you later!"

"That's my girl!" Leah reached over to ruffle her daughter's hair. "Now c'mon. I'll help you with your packing. First one to the top wins!" She got to her feet and raced up the stairs. With an indignant "Hey! No fair!" Sarah leapt up to run after her mother. The two of them scrambled up the stairs, laughing and gasping, only to collapse in a giggling heap once they reached the top.

17-year-old Rebekah Longacre stood at the kitchen counter in a plain blue cape dress; diligently filling large glass jars with homemade jam. Her sister Mary stood beside her, putting the lids on the cans, a few tendrils of dark hair escaping her prayer bonnet.

Mary and Rebekah were Amish, and they were preparing for tourist season by helping their mother, Martha, prepare the excess foods that they were going to sell. As they quickly and efficiently spooned the warm purple jam into the containers, their mother came inside.

"Mary, Rebekah, I think that's enough for now. Help me prepare the afternoon meal." Obediently, the two girls wiped their hands on their aprons and began to clear up the jam fixings. In an hour, the cooking was finished. Martha went outside to ring the bell that signaled mealtime. Immediately, Matthew and Gabrielle, the two littlest Longacres scampered into view.

"What are we eating?" Matthew asked eagerly. His big sisters laughed at his question and Mary pointed sternly at her brother's dirty hands.

"Go wash up, Matthew, then we'll talk about food." Matthew took his little sister's hand, and the two fair heads disappeared around the corner of the house.

Presently, the sound of heavy men's boots floated through the air. Ethan Longacre and his oldest son, Elijah, appeared from the fields, where they'd been working.

"Come, wash up, you two, then we'll eat." Martha urged them as the little ones reappeared around the corner.

"Papa!" Gabby squealed, launching herself into her father's arms.

Ethan picked up his daughter and smiled down at her curly head. "How is my little girl? Have you been caring for the chickens properly, Gabrielle?"

"Rachel just laid an egg today! It's the biggest one of all!" Gabby exclaimed, flushed with pride over her favorite chicken's achievement.

"Good for her. Now come, your mother is impatient to start the meal. As I am, too." Ethan laughed, and set Gabby back down. Giggling, Gabby grabbed Matthew's hand and the two rushed inside. Behind them, Ethan and Eli smiled at each other and followed them in.


	2. Roberta's Visit

Sarah was startled awake by an insistent ringing in her ears. With a groan she covered her face with a pillow and reached for her alarm clock, groping for the snooze button. Finding the small plastic knob with her fingers, she gave it a firm push and rolled over on her side, expecting the sound to evaporate immediately.

It kept ringing.

Sarah took the pillow off her face and turned around, a puzzled expression on her face.

"What the—?" she wondered aloud, throwing the covers off and setting her feet on the carpeted floor. It was then that she realized it was not the _alarm clock _that was ringing so annoyingly.

"Coming!" Sarah called out as she slipped her feet into her undersized fuzzy bunny slippers. The doorbell rang again, then fell silent.

_Who could be coming at this time?_ Sarah wondered to herself as she trudged down the stairs to the front door. _It's only 7:00 in the morning. _One peek through a gap in the window blinds told her who it was.

"Grandma!" Sarah squealed as she flung open the door and hurled herself into Roberta Winsley's outstretched arms. Five years after Neil Dutton's untimely death, Leah's mother had remarried for the sixth—and most likely the last—time. Leah liked her new stepfather well enough, though she was never really attached to the man. Sarah, however, was a different story. She greatly adored both her grandparents, and they returned her affection equally, if not more so.

"How's my favorite granddaughter?" Roberta exclaimed, hugging Sarah tightly.  
Sarah giggled. "Grandma, I'm your _only _granddaughter!"

"So? You're still my favorite."

"Grandma!"

"Come on, pumpkin, why don't you help me get these bags into the house? I bought you some stuff I thought you might need for the big trip." Roberta picked up two of the five large paper bags that sat on the front porch.

"Grandma! You shouldn't have!" Sarah's eyes grew wide at the sight of so many presents.

"Yes I should," Roberta replied stubbornly and proceeded to haul the gifts into the living room. Sarah followed with the rest of the bags, still amazed at the quantity of the bags.

"What's going on?" Leah came down the stairs, still rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"Look, Mom! Grandma came to visit!" Sarah cried excitedly, dropping the bags on the floor.

"That's nice…" Leah mumbled, then she realized what Sarah just said. "_Mom!_ It's seven o' clock in the morning! What are you doing here so early? You never get up at seven!"

"Well, when my favorite granddaughter is leaving me for a _whole week, _I have to say good-bye, don't I?" Roberta looked at Leah indignantly.

"Grandma. I'm your _only _granddaughter." Sarah reminded her.

"Whatever," Roberta waved her hand in dismissal and plopped down on the floor next to her shopping bags. "Now. Come look at what I got you. Isn't this sweatshirt wonderful?" She held up a green hooded sweatshirt made of the softest fabric.

Leah laughed and sat down next to her. "I don't think you've ever bought such cool things for _me _when I was Sarah's age." She teased.

"What do you expect me to do? When your favorite—"

"_Only_." Sarah cut in, but Roberta ignored her:

"…granddaughter has no interest whatsoever in fashion, you have to do all the shopping for her."

"I know what you mean," Leah suppressed a smile and winked at Sarah.

Pulling item after item out of the bags, Roberta would exclaim over each one, then load it into Sarah's overflowing arms until finally Sarah set the whole bundle down and laughing, raised her hands in mock surrender.

"Okay, okay, enough, Grandma! I give up!"

"You'll take all this stuff with you, right? You'll make sure to stay warm and healthy while you're up there? Northern Indy can get quite cold sometimes."

"Of course, Grandma. But it's summer. I doubt the cold will get unbearable…do you mind if I decide to give some of these clothes away to charity while I'm there?" Sarah gave her grandmother a sly look.

Roberta raised an eyebrow, then smiled. "Of course, as long as you have enough for yourself."

"Oh, I'm quite sure I'll have enough. More than enough." Sarah looked at the pile on the floor ruefully, then leaned over to hug the older woman. "Thanks a bunch, Grandma!"

"Well then, now that show-and-tell's over, who wants some breakfast?" Leah stood up and stretched, then turned to Sarah, "come help me turn out some pancakes?"

"Sure!" Sarah bounced up and headed into the kitchen immediately.

"Just a second, young lady, don't you think you'd better change out of those PJs first?" Leah called to her daughter's retreating back.

"Oh yeah!" Sarah bounded back into the living room, then up the stairs, humming a tune. Back in the living room, Roberta and Leah exchanged a look.

"She's a rare treasure, that one," Roberta mused, "I don't think I've _ever_ seen a child like her."

"Yeah," Leah answered with a half smile, "You and Sarah are the most precious things I have now. I don't have anyone else."

"Now, Leah," Roberta said sternly, " it's not as hopeless as you make it sound. You can always marry someone else. Heaven knows any guy would be lucky to have you. David's death isn't the end of the world."

"It is in a way. Besides, I don't want to get remarried. Once is good enough. And I think Sarah and I are coping fine." Leah stood up and brushed off her pants—she was still in pajamas herself—and headed up the stairs after her daughter, calling over her shoulder, "I think I'll go change. Be back in a second!"

Downstairs, Roberta sighed and shook her head.


	3. Jake

Sarah was standing at her locker during lunch period, fiddling with her stubborn lock. _Why…won't this… darn lock… turn! _She thought to herself, trying to force the knob. As usual, it was stuck, and no matter what she did, it would not turn.

"Arrgh!" She let out a frustrated sigh and tried once more. The lock clicked open.

"Finally!" Bending down, Sarah reached into her locker to get out the books she needed for her next class. Suddenly, a deep, lazy voice startled her.

"Hey, Beautiful." Sarah turned in surprise.

Jake Millar leaned against the locker right in front of hers, smiling at her suavely.

_Oh no, _Sarah thought to herself. But putting on a brave smile, she quickly said, "Hi, Jake. See ya later," then whirled around to leave again.

"_Just_ a minute!" Jake's arm snaked out and grabbed Sarah's elbow. "Aren't you going to even say a proper hello to me?"

"Please keep your hands to yourself." Sarah said through gritted teeth.

"Aw, c'mon, Sarah," Jake wheedled, but reluctantly allowed his hand to drop. "So…whatcha doin' over winter break?"

Sarah was tempted to say "none of your business," then leave, but she forced herself to remain calm.

"I'm just going to do some traveling in northern Indy," she said. "Nothing big."

"Oh really? That's too bad. I was hoping we might be able to, you know, spend some time together. I'd like to get to know you better. Much better…"

Sarah winced. "I don't think—"

Jake cut her off. "It would be really fun. Just you and me. I could take you to some awesome concerts, and stuff." Jake leaned close. Too close.

Sarah started edging for the door. "Thanks, but I have some stuff to do up there anyway." The bell rang for fourth period.

"Oh, there's the bell. Gotta run!" Relieved, Sarah grabbed her books and hightailed it for the door.

"Catch ya later!" Jake called to her retreating back.

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Once outside the building, Sarah was accosted by her best friend Jenna, who had watched the whole scene through the glass doors of the locker building.

"Wow, Jake _really _likes you!" Jenna gushed.

"Please, let's not talk about it," Sarah groaned.

"Why? What's wrong with him?"

"Shush. Talk to you later." The two girls slipped into their seats in literature class as the bell rang.

"Good afternoon, class," Mrs. White, the senior history teacher, stood at the head of the classroom, watching her class sternly. "Today we are going to deviate from the usual lesson plan. Instead of studying British literature, we are going to learn about something a little closer to home. Now, who can tell me something about Nappanee, Indiana?"

Jenna's hand shot up immediately. "Yes, Miss Merkle?" Mrs. White called on Jenna.

"Nappanee is the center of one of the largest Amish communities in all of America!" Jenna stated proudly.

"Very good, Jenna," Mrs. White rewarded her with a smile. "Nappanee is indeed famous for the number of Amish people living there. Now, who can tell me something about the Amish?"

Various hands shot up, and Mrs. White called on each of the students in turn.

Brent Caldron: "They're old fashioned."

Amy Lane: "They ride in buggies."

George Custer: "They have the best food _ever_!"

Remi Sutton: "They're really religious."

Mycroft Banks: "They don't use modern technology."

"That is all correct," Mrs. White nodded after each answer. "Is there anything else someone might like to add?" She noticed Sarah sitting in the corner, silent, her chin in her hands. Even though she stayed silent, Sarah Logan was following the discussion with the greatest interest. Mrs. White noticed, and singled her out:

"What about you, Sarah? What do you know about the Amish?"

Slowly, Sarah spoke up. "They have a great sense of family and community."

Mrs. White nodded, as she had for the others. Then she turned to the class. "Okay, people. Please turn to page 253 in your textbooks. There you will find a short section on the Amish and their written works…"

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After school, Jenna caught up to Sarah as she was adjusting the strap on her backpack.

"Hey, Sarah!" she called cheerfully.

"Hi, Jen," Sarah smiled, then turned her attention back to the strap.

"So…want to tell me what that whole thing with Jake was all about?" Jenna teased.

Sarah sighed. "Jenna. Stop reading all those romance novels. There's nothing between us."

"I bet _he _wishes there were." Jenna smirked.

"Who knows?" Sarah shrugged, then slipped on her backpack and started walking toward the front of the school.

"Hey!" Jenna ran to catch up. "Really, Sarah, he likes you. A lot. I'll bet he'll try to ask you out sometime, if he hasn't already." Jenna threw a sideways glance at her friend.

Sarah tried not to blush. "Then he's wasting his time. I'm not interested in 'going out' with him or with anybody."

Jenna frowned. "Is this about your dad again? Because if it is, I know he'd want you to move on. Jake has nothing to do with your memory of your dad, anyway."

Sarah looked pained. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Always being elusive." Jenna shook her head sadly, then decided to humor her friend. "So what did you think about today's lit. lesson?"

"It was pretty interesting. I kinda admire the Amish." A smile returned to Sarah's lips, brightening up her whole face. Jenna was pleased with the success of her comment.

"Me too. Did you know my grandmother lives in Nappanee? She's not Amish, or anything, but she has a few Amish friends."

"Really? That's so cool! I wish I knew someone Amish," Sarah exclaimed.

"Hey, you're going to travel to northern Indy over winter break, right?" Jenna asked. "And I'm going to visit my grandmother, who happens to _live _in northern Indy. Nappanee, to be exact. Why don't you come with me? Granny won't mind."

Sarah's smiled. "Thanks, Jenna, but my mom already made reservations at the hotel."

"So? Cancel them and come over. I'm sure your mom won't mind. Wasn't she trying to get you up there so you could hang with more people your age, anyway? Well, I'm your age, so there!"

Sarah laughed at Jenna's enthusiasm. "How 'bout this: I'll ask my mom, then call you later this afternoon. It's only a _small_ change in my plans, after all."

"Yee-ha!" Jenna whooped like a cowboy. "I'm sure your mom'll say yes!" She beamed at Sarah, who laughed and hooked her arm through her friend's.

"You are such an insistent person, Jenna," she grinned.

"I know I am," Jenna answered smugly. "I always get whatever I want."

"You wish!" Sarah swatted her friend's arm playfully.

"Well, I got you to agree, didn't I?" Jenna pointed out.

"True. But you still have to wait for me to talk to my mom."

"Well, be persuasive, okay? 'Cause if she says no, then I'll know you weren't convincing enough, and I'll march over to your house and talk to your mom myself!"

Sarah giggled. "Thanks, Jen."

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Leah was washing the dishes when Sarah arrived home.

"Hello, sweetie," she said, giving Sarah a quick kiss on the cheek. "How was school?"

"Pretty good. Hey, mom, can I ask you something?" Sarah placed her backpack on the kitchen table.

"Sure," Leah answered, a bit absent-mindedly.

"Well, you know about my trip up north? Well, I kinda want to change my plans a little."

"How so?" Leah dried her hands on a towel and looked at the shopping list taped to the refrigerator door. "Carrots…onions…parsley…" she muttered to herself, trying to figure out what she was forgetting.

"I was talking to Jenna, and she has a grandmother who lives up there. She wants me to stay with her over winter break."

"Jenna? Is it okay with her grandmother?" Leah scribbled something on the shopping list, then opened the refrigerator to check its contents.

"Jenna says it's fine. She just wanted to know if it's okay with you."

"Sure, honey, it'd be good for you to hang out with someone your own age over break." Leah closed the door and turned back to the dishes. "So you're going to Jenna's instead of the hotel?"

"Yeah, I guess that's the plan."

"Sounds good…oh, there's the phone," a ringing sound issued throughout the house, and Leah hurried around the counter to pick up the beige-colored communication device. "Hello? Oh, hi, Jenna. You want to talk to Sarah? Sure… hold on…"

Leah handed the phone to Sarah and returned to the sink.

"Well?" Jenna demanded as soon as Sarah had the phone up to her ear.

"Good heavens, Jen, you're really fast. I just got home, you know."

Jenna ignored her. "Did you talk to her?"

"Well…as a matter of fact, I did."

Jenna squealed. "So what did she say?"

"She said it's alright, as long as your grandmother won't mind."

"Oh, Granny loves company. This is too cool! I'm going to go call her right now. 'Bye, Sarah!" There was a click, and then a loud dial tone. Sarah hung up with a baffled laugh. Then, shaking her head in amusement, she got out the phone book.

"I guess I'd better cancel that reservation, then."

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	4. Rebekah

Rebekah Longacre was standing in the middle of an aisle in the Amish grocery store, trying to remember what it was exactly her mother had sent her to buy. The store was not like the English modern supermarkets with their loud speakers and glaring florescent lights. Instead, the little wooden building had lanterns hanging in the windows, and barrels of flours and other such dried goods set out for buyers to inspect.

The door creaked open, and an energetic-looking gray haired woman arrived with a basket hung over her arm. She had a concentrated look on her face as she scanned the aisles. Suddenly, she spotted Rebekah.

"Oh! Good morning, Rebekah, how's the family?"

Rebekah turned and smiled at the newcomer. "Quite well, thank you, Mrs. Merkle. Have you heard from your family?"

"Of course. As a matter of fact, did I tell you that my granddaughter is coming to visit?"

"Is she! That's wonderful. We haven't seen Jenna for…two years now?"

"I know. And she's bringing a friend with her. I just got the call today."

Rebekah smiled. "Really? I'll be looking forward to seeing both of them. Jenna's always been such a friendly girl."

"Yes, and I hear many great things about her friend as well—her name's Sarah, by the way. Sarah Logan."

"Sarah? I have an aunt named Sarah. It's a lovely name."

"I know it is. But Rebekah is a lovely name too, you know."

Rebekah smiled in silence, then turned, startled, as Matthew burst into the store, carrying a pair of roller skates under his arm.

"Re_bek_ah! Eli wants to know if you've got the flour for Mother yet!"

"Oh! Right! Excuse me," she said to Jenna's grandmother and turned to a wooden barrel of coarse wheat flour. Quickly, she filled a bag with the powder, then paid for it, and taking her brother by the hand, led him out of the store.

"'Bye Mrs. Merkle!" she called over her shoulder.

Mrs. Merkle waved, and fondly watched the two siblings head out to the buggy where their brother Eli sat waiting.

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	5. The Arrival

A dusty green sedan pulled up to the curb, right under the leaf-laden branches of an aspen tree. Two teenage girls emerged from within the vehicle, carrying bags and suitcases. They slammed the doors shut one right after the other.

"I'm so excited! I haven't seen granny in so long—probably two years, by now!" One of them gushed happily.

The other smiled at her friend. "Well, we're here now. For the next few weeks you can see her as much as you want, Jen."

"I know," Jen grinned like a child on Christmas morning, "Isn't it great?"

"Sure is. C'mon, let's go!" The other jogged up to the plain wooden door and rang the doorbell. Her friend came up behind her and shifted her weight from one foot to the other, nervously.

It didn't take long for the door to open. A gray-haired woman—somewhat plump, with a friendly smile and a flowery blue dress—peeked through the gap in the door and exclaimed happily: "Jenna! Sarah! It's sooo good to see you two!"

She grabbed both of the girls into a bear hug, never minding that she'd never seen one of them before in her life. Sarah liked her immediately.

"Hey, Granny!" Jenna said cheerfully. "Look, we brought you presents!" She held up a loaded paper bag.

"Oh, you shouldn't have!" Mrs. Merkle opened the door wider, then beckoned with her whole arm. "Come in, come in! I made some iced tea for you, and Rebekah's mother sent over some bread and jam."

"Rebekah? How is she? And how're the little ones?" Jenna asked as her grandmother helped the girls into the dining room.

"She's doing great. So are Matthew and Gabby. And the rest of the family, as well. Once you two get rested up, I'll bring you over there. You haven't met the Longacres yet, have you?" She turned to Sarah, who shook her head.

"Well, of course not. But you will soon. They're a very nice family, the Longacres. Very decent. You'll love them, I'm sure."

Sarah couldn't help smiling. Mrs. Merkle was exactly like her granddaughter—bubbly, friendly, and fun to be around.

The three of them sat around a small oak table upon which sat a loaf of bread, a jar of boysenberry jam, and a pitcher of golden tea. Three plates, with butter knives, forks, and glasses sat next to straw-colored placemats. A cabinet sat against a wall, filled with delicate china teacups and plates, and other such paraphernalia. Sarah took in her surroundings with a sort of satisfaction. Already, she could feel her travel-weariness slipping off her shoulders like rain rolling off a duck's feathers.

"So," Mrs. Merkle said to Sarah as she sipped her tea, "Tell me about yourself. I've heard plenty of great things about you from Jenna, but of course I'd like to know more."

Sarah blushed. "There isn't much to tell, really…"

"Oh, there's _always _lots to tell," Mrs. Merkle encouraged her.

"Well, did Jenna tell you how I want to be a vet when I grow up?"

"Certainly."

"And…I'm an only child, so I pretty much have the house to myself…"

"And?"

"And I like music, I suppose…" Sarah laughed a little. She was running out of things to say.

"What kind?"

"I don't know, classical, I guess."

"Sarah plays the violin in the school orchestra," Jenna piped up.

"I'm really not that good," Sarah said quickly.

"Ah," Mrs. Merkle mused, "that's unusual for a kid your age, I hear. I mean, liking classical music instead of…what's it called? Pop? Rock n Roll?"

Sarah shrugged, a bit sadly, "My dad taught me to love classical music ever since I was little. He's the one who started me on music lessons…I've learned a lot from him. He was great."

Mrs. Merkle raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. She'd heard Sarah's use of the past tense in her last sentence, and understood immediately.

Jenna sensed a downward turn in the general atmosphere of the place, so she did what she did best—changed the subject to something happier.

"So…Granny, you said the Longacres were doing well. Elaborate, please. How're Gabby's chickens?" To Sarah, she added, "Gabby's the youngest girl in the family, and she has this brood of chickens that she's raising by herself—they're her pride and joy."

"Oh, they're doing very well." Mrs. Merkle smiled, "As a matter of fact, Rachel—you know, Gabby's favorite hen—just laid another egg. She ran over a few days ago to tell me in person. She was so pleased, you should have seen her!"

Sarah and Jenna laughed, and Sarah said, "Tell me about the others. How many people are in the Longacre family?"

"Well, you've heard about Rebekah and Gabby so far, right?" Mrs. Merkle frowned in concentration, then said, "The Longacres have a pretty big family. Six children, plus parents and two grandparents. Of course, the Amish usually have big families, so that's not a surprise, there…"

"They're Amish?" A spark of new interest lit up in Sarah's eyes.

"Oh! Yes, they're Amish. I never mentioned that?"

"No, but please go on."

"Alright. Well, The grandparents' names are Jacob and Tillie Longacre—very nice people. I've met them quite a few times. Then there're the parents, Martha and Ethan Longacre. And of course, the children: Tillie, Elijah, Rebekah, Mary, Matthew, and Gabriella."

"Wow, what a big family," Sarah sighed wistfully. "I've always wanted a big family. But we only have Mom, Grandma, and me at home. I've never had any siblings, and…" she trailed off.

Jen was getting a bit nervous. She knew her friend was remembering her father again, and she didn't know what to do about it. But just when things were getting a bit depressing, the doorbell rang.

"Oh! There's the bell. I'll get it, Granny, you go ahead and finish your bread." Jenna jumped up and ran to open the door. Outside stood a thin girl dressed in the plain style of the Amish. Her unruly strawberry-blond hair rebelled against her clean white bonnet, and her blue eyes sparkled. A dusting of freckles covered her nose, and her long slender fingers were clasped tightly before her.

"Hello, Jenna," she said with a smile.

Jenna blinked a couple times, and her mouth dropped open. Then a grin spread across her face and she opened her arms to hug the other girl. "Rebekah! It's so good to see you again!"


	6. Guests

"Who is it?" Mrs. Merkle called from the kitchen.

"It's Rebekah, Granny!" Jenna called back excitedly.

"Is it?" There was the sound of a chair scraping the floor, and a small crash as the chair bumped into something—the cabinet, probably. Seconds later, Jenna's grandmother appeared in the doorway next to her granddaughter.

"Rebekah Longacre! How good of you to come see us! How did you know the girls arrived today? I don't recall ever telling you the exact day they'd come."

Rebekah smiled in pleasure. "You didn't. I guessed."

Mrs. Merkle smiled back. "Well, come in, come in. We were just having a little snack. Your mother's jam is delicious, by the way."

"Thank you." Rebekah allowed the Merkles to lead her into the house, pausing to take a dark blue shawl off her shoulders. She hung it on a coat rack near the door, then followed Jenna into the dining room.

A dark-haired girl with large chocolate eyes and a small but friendly smile stood next to a carved wooden chair.

"Oh. I haven't introduced you two yet." Mrs. Merkle exclaimed. "Rebekah, meet Sarah Logan. She's Jenna's friend—the one I told you about? She'll be living with us for the next few weeks. And Sarah, meet Rebekah Longacre. I already told you all about the Longacres, I believe."

"Hi," Sarah said quietly.

"Hello." Rebekah held out a hand and Sarah took it shyly.

"Well, now that we all know each other, let's finish our snacks, shall we?" Jenna's grandmother flashed a wide smile at the girls, and immediately hustled into the kitchen to dig up some silverware for Rebekah.

"Oh, Mrs. Merkle, you really don't have to…" Rebekah started, but Mrs. Merkle was already out of the room. Jenna laughed.

"That's granny—always bustling here and there. C'mon Rebekah, sit down. You may as well, you know. Granny never lets a visitor go on an empty stomach."

"I suppose I have a _little _time to visit…" Rebekah started, but Jenna grabbed her by the arm and led her to a chair right next to Sarah.

"There we go." Jen dragged her chair closer to Sarah and Rebekah and grinned at her friends. "So…what's new in Nappanee?"

"That depends on what you want to know." Rebekah smiled back.

"Hmm…I dunno. Start with your family. How are Tillie and Joseph?"

"They are doing very well. Pa gave them a small plot of land, and Joseph already had some land to begin with. We just finished the barn raising for them last month, actually."

"Cool!" Jenna, seeing that Sarah was a bit lost and left out, added for her benefit, "Tillie is Rebekah's older sister. She just got married a few months ago, and she moved out of the house to live with her new husband. His name's Joseph."

"Oh…do you miss her sometimes? Do you ever get lonely?" Sarah asked Rebekah.

Rebekah turned to face her, and said with a smile, "Sometimes I miss Tillie. But we see her quite often—at meeting, or whenever she and Joseph come to visit. The Amish are never truly lonely. Our family and friends surround us all the time."

Sarah had a wistful look on her face. "You are so lucky."

"Yes, God has blessed my family and I. But what about you? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No, but I wish I did. At home, there's just me, Mom, and Grandma."

"I see." The conversation paused, but just then, Mrs. Merkle reappeared, carefully balancing a stack of bowls, a plate, four spoons, a knife, and a tub of ice cream.

Seeing her hostess loaded down with so much silverware, Sarah immediately leaped up to give her a hand. Jenna laughed, and went to assist her friend and grandmother.

"Granny! You go into the kitchen for a plate and a knife, and you come out with all this stuff!"

Mrs. Merkle smiled sheepishly. "I know. I can't help it. I was just wondering whether you girls might want some chocolate ice cream." She set the tub of ice cream on the table.

Jenna handed Rebekah a bowl, plate, spoon, and knife, and Sarah passed out the rest of the bowls and spoons.

"Okey dokey! Dig in, girls!" Mrs. Merkle gestured at the food on the table and sat down with a flourish. Within a few moments, all four of them were laughing, joking, and passing food around the table.

At last, Jenna set her spoon down and sat back. "I'm stuffed. How 'bout the rest of you?"

Mrs. Merkle laughed. "Me too. What was supposed to be a snack turned out to be a buffet!"

Sarah grinned. "Would you like me to help with the dishes?"

"Oh! I'd like to help, too." Rebekah stood and began stacking the dishes.

"Same here!" Jenna leapt to her feet, eager to help her friends.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You girls are supposed to be _guests_. Let me do the dishes." Mrs. Merkle stood up and began taking the silverware from the girls.

"But—" Sarah began.

"No protesting," Mrs. Merkle said firmly, "I insist."

Reluctantly, Sarah allowed her to take the plates, as did Rebekah and Jenna. Mrs. Merkle loaded her arms up with dirty dishes and headed into the kitchen. The other three looked at each other uncertainly, not sure of what to do.

When Jenna's grandmother came back, she saw them still standing there.

"Well? What are you three waiting for? Go off and explore. Jenna, I want you to get Sarah acquainted with the neighborhood. And Rebekah, why don't you show them around? That is, only if you're not too busy."

"I'd love to show Sarah and Jenna around. I'm sure my mother won't mind if I'm gone for a bit longer. Mary will help with my chores." Rebekah answered.

"Good, then. It's settled. Off you go!" Mrs. Merkle watched fondly as her granddaughter and her friends left the house, already talking about where to go, what to see. With a smile, she turned back to the kitchen.

"Now, for the dirty work. Dishes, here I come!"


	7. When Worlds Collide

Rebekah and Jenna led Sarah around the small but bustling part of Nappanee where Jenna's grandmother lived, pointing out novelties and landmarks with the ease and excitement that came with being closely acquainted with the territory one is introducing to a newcomer. As they familiarized Sarah with her surroundings, Jenna or Rebekah would add a few short facts or anecdotes about this and that building, the customs of the Amish, or Nappanee's lengthy but fascinating history.

Sarah soaked it all in with a great sense of wonder, constantly asking her companions for more information about everything they passed. Laughing at her inquisitiveness, either Jenna or Rebekah would supply the knowledge Sarah wanted, then add some supplemental facts or tips to make their narrative more interesting.

They meandered about the streets slowly, allowing Sarah to take it all in without getting too overwhelmed. Everywhere, the old resided next to the new. Horse-drawn buggies parked next to shiny BMWs. Small wooden stores scrunched between brightly lit supermarkets. Tall, bearded men wearing earth-toned clothing passed by long-haired women wearing sweatshirts and jeans.

"So, what do you think?" Rebekah asked Sarah, who had been gaping in awe at the activity that characterized the place.

Sarah blinked and snapped her jaw shut. "It's awesome!" she replied. "Look at all those horses! And that little store over there with the painted wooden sign!" She breathed a sigh of contentment. "It's absolutely lovely."

"Yup. But there's something over there that _I _think is even more 'absolutely lovely.'" Jenna pointed across the street at an old-fashioned candy shop.

Sarah looked where Jenna's finger directed. A sign read: _Caleb's Confectionaries_.

Grinning, Sarah turned back Jenna, who was practically drooling at the sight of the multi-colored toffees and mints displayed in the shops' large windows.

"Let's go get some candy. Please?" Jenna begged.

Rebekah laughed. "Jenna, you just finished two bowls of chocolate ice cream two minutes ago! You want to buy more sweets _now_? Don't you think you had better wait first?"

Jenna pretended to pout. "Well, you Amish people might preach temperance and denying one's sweet tooth and all that, but there is something you have yet to learn: Jenna Merkle has an insatiable love of candy. And it never goes away. No matter _what _I've eaten two minutes ago." With that, Jenna strode purposefully off toward the candy shop, leaving the other two to shrug helplessly at one other before following their determined friend.

As the girls entered the shop, a bell rang above the door. A man at the counter looked up and smiled at the newcomers.

"Good afternoon, girls. How may I help you?"

Jenna got directly to the point. "Um, could you please show me where you keep the taffies?"

"Of course. Right this way." The man led her to a corner of the shop, and Sarah and Rebekah wandered down the aisles, gazing at the prettily decorated sweets and sugars that filled every shelf and wall.

Sarah walked slowly between two shelves entirely dedicated to chocolate. As she passed by, a small brown box caught her eye. Pausing, she picked it off the shelf and looked through it. Inside, little animal-shaped chocolates were arranged neatly in pairs. There were twenty chocolates in all. Sarah turned the box over and looked at the price. $2.99.

_Not bad_, she thought. _I wonder if I should get a box or two for Grandma and Grandpa_.

She held the chocolates in her hand for a few moments; then made her decision. Grabbing another box, she headed for the checkout counter, where Jenna was in line with a bag of rainbow-colored taffies.

"Hey, you're buying candy too?" Jenna asked Sarah, surprised. Rebekah joined them as Sarah answered.

"Yes, but not for me. I'm going to bring these home to Grandma and Grandpa."

"Sarah Logan, you're too selfless," Jenna teased, "always thinking about other people, and never about yourself. Tsk, tsk."

"Ha. I don't _need _to think about myself. I'm an only child, remember? My folks pamper me all the time." Sarah joked back.

"True," Jenna mused. Then it was her turn to pay for her candy, and when Sarah finished, the three walked out the door into the blazing afternoon sun.

"Now what?" Jenna asked. "We've pretty much seen everything there is to see around here." Jenna tapped her chin in concentration.

Rebekah spoke up. "I think it is about time I headed back home. My mother will be missing me. What if you came with me? I'm sure it will be all right if you visit for a while. Ma is looking forward to seeing you, Jenna, and I'm sure she'll love to meet Sarah."

"That's a great idea!" Jenna exclaimed happily. "I can't wait to see your little sibs again! What do you think, Sarah?"

Sarah's eyes were wide. "I'd love…I mean…I never…I've always wanted to meet an Amish family."

Rebekah laughed at Sarah's flustered words. "That's wonderful. You can meet mine."

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The green sedan pulled up to an Amish homestead, surrounded by large acres of plowed fields. It came to a pause, and Jenna hopped out from the drivers' side. She took the key from the ignition and slammed the door.

"C'mon!" she called to the others happily. Rebekah and Sarah emerged from within the car and slammed the doors shut. Sarah was still carrying the plastic bag that contained the two boxes of chocolates.

As Sarah and Rebekah walked to join their friend, two little heads bobbed around the house. Gabriella froze when she saw Jenna, causing her brother to crash into her. Both fell to the ground with a thud.

"Whoa, there!" Jenna called good-naturedly. "What are you two little devils doing?"

Gabriella and Matthew got up and dusted themselves off.

"Jenna!" Gabriella ran to the older girl and hugged her around her waist. Matthew followed suit. Laughing, Jenna ruffled their hair and grinned. "It's good to see you again, too."

Rebekah emerged from behind Jenna, and her siblings ran to give her a hug, too. Then they saw Sarah. For the second time that afternoon, both children froze, not sure what to make of this newcomer.

"Oh. I forgot to introduce you. Clumsy me." Jenna noted woefully, before taking Gabriella's hand and leading her to Sarah. "This is my friend Sarah. I don't know if Rebekah told you she'd be visiting, but Sarah is staying with Granny and me for the next few weeks." She let go of the little girl's hand, and stepped back, allowing Sarah and Gabriella room to get to know each other.

Gabriella looked at the ground shyly, not sure what to say. But Sarah smiled gently at the little dark-haired girl, and knelt on the ground before her.

"Hello, I'm Sarah. But I know Jenna just told you that. What's your name?"

"Gabriella." The little girl glanced up quickly at Sarah, then turned back to the ground bashfully.

"Gabriella," Sarah repeated the name, and her soft voice made it sound especially beautiful. "What a lovely name. You're very lucky to be named after an angel. That's what 'Gabriella' means, you know."

"I know," The girl was gaining confidence in the presence of this now-not-so-strange stranger, "Pa told me so."

Sarah smiled encouragingly at the younger girl. "And I suppose that's your brother, Matthew?" she indicated the boy who was standing a few feet behind Gabriella, clinging to his sister's hand. Gabriella nodded at Sarah's question, then waved Matthew over. Slowly, he came.

Sarah reached into her plastic bag and pulled out the two boxes of chocolates. "Is it okay if I give these to you two?" she asked the children. "It's not really good for me to eat so much candy. I'd like you to have it. Do you like chocolate?"

Matthew and Gabby's eyes widened at the sight of the treats. When they did not reach for the boxes, Sarah took their hands and placed the candies in them.

"But…" Rebekah started above their heads. Sarah turned to look at her. "I thought you were going to give the candy to your grandparents. I'd hate to have you…" Matthew and Gabby, realizing what their sister was saying, started to return the candy.

Sarah cut Rebekah off gently. "No, I can always get Grandma and Grandpa more chocolates. But I've only just met these two. I want them to have it." She smiled again at the children, encouraging them to keep the treats.

"If you insist…" Rebekah stated uncertainly. Then she turned to her siblings and prompted them: "What do you tell Sarah?"

"Thank you," the children chorused happily, still a bit filled with wonder at this gift from an almost-stranger.

"You're very welcome," Sarah replied, then stood up and dusted off her jeans.

Rebekah held out a hand to Sarah, and waved Jenna over. "Come. Let us go inside. My mother is anxious to see you." The three girls headed to the front porch, followed by the Matthew and Gabriella. Gabby trailed Sarah closely, chattering about her chickens while Sarah laughed at the little girl's antics.

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Ethan Longacre was heading in from the fields when he spotted, in the distance, a small group of people heading toward his front door. As he got closer, he recognized three of them as his own children. The other two he could not distinguish at first. Shrugging his shoulders, he continued to approach the group, his footsteps making soft squishing sounds in the rich soil.

Matthew spotted him first.

"Papa!" he cried, waving furiously at his father. One by one, the others turned. The girl standing to the right of Rebekah smiled at him and waved as well, calling out as she did: "Good afternoon, Mr. Longacre!"

He recognized her as Jenna Merkle, the granddaughter of that nice retired lady who lived in the center of Nappanee's town. Matthew ran to him and hugged him tightly, and Rebekah smiled at him. "Hello, Pa."

"Hello, Rebekah, Jenna," he nodded to his daughter and her friend. Then he realized that Gabby hadn't yet noticed him. That was strange. Looking up, he noticed his youngest daughter clutching a small, decorated box and speaking excitedly to another girl, whose long dark hair covered her face as she bent to listen.

"Gabby, would you like to introduce me to your new friend, here?" Ethan asked his daughter, amused. Gabby spun around, right into her father.

"Papa!" she cried delightedly and held out her arms to be hugged. Ethan bent to pick her up, then stood to get a glimpse of the newcomer. She was now standing straight, and as she unconsciously pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, Ethan finally caught a glimpse of her face.

The girl had almond eyes, shoulder length ebony hair, a thin, graceful frame, and a small smile playing across rose-coloured lips.

_No! It couldn't be…there's no way…_The world dissolved and seemed to swirl around Ethan in a swath of colors. His eyes widened, and his jaw nearly dropped. Gabby frowned as his arms relaxed and she slipped to the ground.

"Papa?" she asked, a bit worried. He didn't seem to hear her. Instead, he kept staring at the seventeen-year old standing before him, memories from a distant past flashing like firecrackers in his mind.

A hospital…an angel…a teenage _Englischer_ girl with almond eyes, shoulder-length ebony-coloured hair, a gracefully thin frame, and warm, rosy lips.

"Leah," he breathed.


	8. Elijah

"Excuse me?" Sarah cocked her head slightly in consternation.

_Wait a minute. This can't be Leah. She's too young. _The world solidified around Ethan's head. Shaking himself mentally, Ethan held out a hand to the girl.

"Forgive me, I just…ah…remembered something. It is very nice to meet you."

"It's great to meet you, too…"

"Ethan Longacre."

"…Mr. Longacre. I'm Sarah Logan. Jenna's friend," Sarah explained as she shook his hand tentatively, still a bit puzzled. Mr. Longacre was behaving rather strangely. What was it that he said? It sounded somewhat familiar. But he spoke too quickly, quietly. Sarah didn't catch it.

"Please, Sarah, Jenna, come inside. My wife will prepare some refreshments for you. It is good to see our Rebekah's friends again. We haven't had a visit from you in a while, Jenna."

"I know," Jenna smiled her playful smile and added, "that's why I came. I knew all of you were dying to see me again. And Sarah, too, of course."

Laughing, Rebekah and her father escorted the others into the house, followed by the two youngest Longacres.

Martha Longacre stood at the stove, getting ready to cook the afternoon meal.

"Rebekah! What took you so long…? Oh! Jenna Merkle, it is wonderful to see you again! And your friend, too, of course." With a friendly smile, Martha wiped her hands on her apron and went to greet the visitors.

"Come, come, sit down. I was just getting some food ready."

"Oh, there's no need, Mrs. Longacre. Granny stuffed us to the brim before letting us come here." Jenna said quickly.

But Martha ignored her words and brought a bowl of berries and cream to each girl. With a hopeless look at Sarah, Jenna allowed Mrs. Longacre to serve the dessert.

"Wow…three desserts in one day. Boy, am I a lucky girl." Jenna commented as she observed her blueberries. Sarah chuckled.

"Thank you, Mrs. Longacre, but we really did eat already. Is it alright if I give this to Gabriella or Matthew instead?" she asked politely.

"Well…if you are sure…" Martha looked doubtfully at the girls as they handed their fruit to the little ones.

"So, Jenna, how is the family? Are your parents well?" Martha asked as Ethan set his coat on a hook by the door and joined the visitors at the table.

"Oh yes, my mom and dad and the rest of the family are fit as a fiddle. Couldn't be healthier. Although my youngest brother is growing to be quite a pest at times. Must be some kind of strange new disease that is rapidly spreading among twelve-year-olds…" Jenna rolled her eyes, to the amusement of the others.

"And how about you, Sarah? Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your family, " Ethan requested, not quite sure why he somehow felt drawn to this petite, shy seventeen-year-old.

Sarah glanced down quickly at the table before looking up. "Well, I live with my mom at home. My…my dad died a year ago. My grandparents visit us often, though. They are very supportive."

"I see." Ethan said quietly. He did not ask any more questions, and a sort of stillness descended on the room for a moment.

Just then, the heavy front door opened with a slight creak, and a tall figure strode in. The second the newcomer entered the house, he hung his coat next to Ethan's. As he reached up to place his coat on the hook, Sarah caught a glimpse of his profile. The new arrival was rather on the tall side, with dark blond hair—almost sepia—and his skin tanned with a healthy glow. He looked about Sarah's age, maybe seventeen or eighteen. And he was dressed in the traditional plain style of the Amish.

The youth made sure the coat was hung properly, then he turned to face the room. "Hello, Ma, Pa…" he started, but stopped as he realized that his parents were not the only people in the house. Sarah's curious brown eyes met the stranger's startled blue ones. Both blinked and looked away.

"Well, Eli, aren't you going to welcome our guests?" his sister demanded. "Don't you remember Jenna? And this is her friend, Sarah."

Eli shook his head slightly, as if to clear his mind. "I'm sorry. I…didn't realize you were coming to visit today. Welcome, Jenna, Sarah."

Jenna smiled at his greeting, and Sarah nodded slightly.

_So this, then, is Elijah Longacre._


	9. Part II: Changing Tides

CHAPTER TWO

"Do I _have _to go?" Sarah sighed as she sat on the edge of her bunk. It was a Friday night. Outside, the sky was beginning to darken, and Jen was busy flipping through the closet, throwing random outfits on a rapidly-growing pile next to Sarah on the bed.

"Yes, you have to go. Besides, Sarah, how else do you expect to get to know the teens around here?" Jenna's voice sounded a little muffled, coming from the closet, and Sarah flopped on her back despondently.

"I don't _need _to get to know the teens around here. They can't be much different from back home. Besides, your grandmother is perfectly wonderful company. Why don't I just stay here with her?"

"Because, Sarah, Granny wants you to go and meet the young people, too. And there are lots of cool kids here for you to meet. _You _need to lighten up."

"I don't know, Jenna…" Sarah said doubtfully, but she sat up on the bed.

"C'mon, Sarah. It'll be fun. Here, help me pick out something for you to wear."

"It's just that…I don't _go_ to dances. I've never been to one in my whole life." Sarah said, half to herself as Jenna turned back to the closet.

"I know. That's why I'm dragging you to this one," came Jenna's oh-so-helpful comment from deep within the recesses of the closet.

"Jen!" Sarah threw a pillow at her friend. "That doesn't help!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Jenna came out of the closet, holding both hands in the air in mock surrender. She sat next to Sarah on the bed.

"Look. It's really nothing to worry about. I _promise _I won't let anything bad happen to you, okay? And besides, Rebekah and Eli are coming. They're going through their trial period right now, and we ought to help them out a little, right?"

"Trial period…you mean _rumspringa_?"

"Yeah…wait. What?"

"_Rumspringa._ It literally means 'running around' in German. The term refers to a period of time in their later teenage years when Amish youth experiment with the ways of the outside world and decide whether or not to get baptized into the Amish church, based on what they've learned." Sarah recited it primly, hands in her lap. As soon as she finished, she bounced off the bed and ducked behind a bookcase, just as Jenna chucked a clothes hanger at her.

"Sarah! Do you absolutely _have_ to sound like an encyclopedia all the time?? Sheesh!"

Giggling, Sarah raced out of the room, Jenna hot on her heels.

_Ding-Dong! _

The loud doorbell echoed throughout the house, making the girls stop in their tracks. Jenna dropped the pillow she'd been using as a weapon and ran to open the door.

"I bet that's Rebekah now!"

She yanked open the door, and sure enough, the smiling strawberry-haired girl stood waiting on the porch.

"Hi! Come on in. Where's Eli?"

"My brother is waiting for us in the buggy. He is not very interested in clothing."

"Well, then, he's got a _loooong_ wait ahead of him. We still have an hour before it starts, you know. Are you sure you don't want to ask him in?"

"Oh…in that case, I had better let him know."

"Yeah, why don't you do that? I'll leave the front door open. Tell him Granny would love to have him here. She likes to talk, you know." Jenna winked at Rebekah playfully.

"I don't doubt it," Rebekah joked back.

Jenna headed back to the room where Sarah was sprawled despondently on the bed.

"Jen, I've decided…I'm not going to go."

Jenna groaned. "Sarah! Rebekah's already here!" Seeing that her friend wasn't moved by her words, Jenna grabbed Sarah's hand and pulled her off the bed.

"C'mon. Get dressed."

"B-but…"

"You promised." Jenna waggled a finger at Sarah, shoved a frilly white dress into her hands, and herded her towards the bathroom door.

"I-I did…?"

Jenna closed the door on her friend and called out reassuringly, "Sure you did. Now hurry up. You have to help me choose an outfit for Rebekah."

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One hour and a lot of fussing later, the three girls were dressed and ready to go. Sarah had refused to wear the dress ("It's _way _too…fluffy") and instead was clothed in her usual jeans-and-a-T-shirt. Jenna had given up on Sarah, and decided to use Rebekah, a much more willing candidate, as her model.

Rebekah, being a young Amish teenager who had never really experienced much "English stuff" was eager to try out everything non-Amish. So by the time Jenna finished with her, she was wearing a stylish pink skirt ("not too short…that would be too immodest."), a pale blue blouse, a silver chain necklace, a few bracelets, and even a touch of makeup. Jenna herself, for all her efforts to dress her friends well, chose to wear a simple collared shirt with a plaid skirt.

When Jen and Rebekah finished choosing their outfits (a process that took forty-five minutes and included trying out every article of clothing in the closet, not to mention all the stuff Sara's grandmother had sent), the three of them walked out into the kitchen, where Eli was sitting and chatting with Mrs. Merkle.

The second they walked in, Eli stopped talking and looked up. Rebekah blushed under her brother's expressionless gaze.

"So…what do you think?" she asked, spreading her arms out.

"I think that it is very…new." Eli spoke slowly, a bit unsure. He himself was dressed in the traditional Amish way. Even though he had agreed to chaperone his sister and her friends to the English/Amish dance; that did not mean he enjoyed those types of social gatherings. In fact, he was rather uncomfortable around the loud, local teens.

"Well, I think you look absolutely lovely, Rebekah. And so does Sarah and Jenna." Mrs. Merkle spoke up. "Now, you four had better get going or else you'll be late. Don't forget to come home before eleven."

"We know, Granny!" Jenna called cheerily over her shoulder as she ushered her friends out the door.

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Outside, Eli's buggy was waiting. The horses snorted and pawed at the ground, impatient to get going. Eli grinned and patted each one on the nose.

"So…seating arrangements. Who wants to sit where?" Jen asked.

"I know," Rebekah said, "Sarah, why don't you sit in front with my brother, and I'll sit with Jenna in the back."

"Wait. What?" Sarah asked, startled. "Don't _you _want to sit in front? Eli's your brother."

"I know. But I can always talk to my brother whenever I want at home. Not so with my friends." Rebekah grinned and hooked her arm through Jenna's. Then her expression changed. "Unless, of course, you _want _to sit in the back. I _could_ sit in the front, or Jenna could…"

"No, no." Sarah interjected quickly. She didn't want to make a huge fuss over seating arrangements, and she didn't want Eli to think she thought he had cooties or something. "It's alright with me. Really. Go ahead and sit with Jen."

The four of them took their seats, and Eli flicked the reins slightly, clicking with his tongue. The horses shook their heads and plodded off into the rapidly lowering sun, shaking up little clouds of dust as they went.


	10. The Dance

They got there just as the party was getting into full swing. The girls hopped out of the buggy themselves, and Eli climbed down after them to secure the horses to a post. As they walked through the door with a couple of other people, Sarah could hear loud, pounding music playing in the background, and see teenage couples dancing in the middle of the living room. She frowned in distaste.

Jenna and Rebekah didn't seem to notice.

"Isn't this so cool?" Jen squealed ecstatically. "Look at all these people! I can't wait to meet some of my old friends. And make new ones, too. C'mon, Sarah, I'll introduce you!" She grinned happily, and took Sarah by the arm. Rebekah followed behind. Eli had disappeared into the crowd.

Sarah allowed herself to be led like a puppy around the crowded room, and was introduced to several friendly-looking people. They seemed to like her alright, and she them, but somehow, she just didn't feel too comfortable in this setting.

"Whew! Um…Jenna? I think I need to take a little break. If I get introduced to any more people, I'll have a major brain overload from all the new names and go into spasms." Sarah smiled at Jen, and gently unhooked her arm.

"What, already? You haven't even met half the people I know yet!"

"Jenna. Let's face it. You have too many friends for me to meet all in one evening. Let's take it slowly, 'k?"

"Ok…" Jenna said reluctantly. "Then what are you going to do?"

"Me? Nothing. Wander around and observe things, I suppose. That doesn't mean you have to follow me around. You can still catch up on the latest with all your old buddies. I'd hate for you to miss their charming repartee." Sarah winked at Jenna, who looked at her dubiously.

"Are you sure? I don't want to leave you alone. After all, I swore on my pet parakeet's grave that nothing would happen to you at this party…"

"Did you?" Sarah asked, amused.

"Well, I did now."

Sarah waved away her concern. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Now go with Rebekah and have a good time." She gave her friend a little push towards Rebekah, and watched her go off. Sarah laughed a little to herself. Jenna was a sweet character.

"Hey," a deep male voice interrupted her reverie. Sarah spun around. The tall teenager had sandy-colored hair, deep green eyes, and a lazy smile. The way he leaned casually against the wall next to her reminded Sarah immediately of Jake Millar when he had last accosted her at the lockers.

"Hello…" Sarah said cautiously. The stranger laughed.

"Hey, relax, babe. I promise I won't bite."

Sarah was mortally offended. _Babe_?! What a revolting person!

"Excuse me, but do I know you?" she asked coldly.

"Whoa! Attitude. I like that. Of course you don't know me. I'm Levi. Levi Dewberry." He leaned closer and Sarah could smell something strange on his breath. "And who might _you _be, pretty lady?" He stuck out his hand for her to shake.

Sarah turned her head away. She did not like this boy at all. Glancing quickly out of the corner of her eye, she found that there was no escape. To her left was a bookcase full of dusty encyclopedias. And to her right, Levi Dewberry, smiling a decidedly risqué smile. With a sigh, Sarah turned back.

"Sarah Logan." She said bluntly, shaking his hand as quickly as possible.

"So, Sarah. What brings you here to our quaint little town?"

"My friend invited me here. She happens to know a family who lives here. Do you know the Longacres?" Sarah tried not to look at the boy as she spoke, hoping he would leave. To her surprise, at the mention of Rebekah's family name, the lanky teen stiffened and drew back.

"The…Longacres. I know them, all right. And if I were you, I'd stop knowing them as soon as possible." With a sneer, Levi stuck his hands in the pocket of his jeans and stalked away.

Sarah stared at his retreating back. There was something really…weird…about that kid. _Levi Dewberry has got a _major _problem_, Sarah thought to herself. She shook her head, to clear it. Suddenly she didn't feel quite so safe anymore. She wished she hadn't sent Jenna away.

A shadow fell across her path. Sarah braced herself before looking up. Suppose Levi had come back? To her surprise, it was not Levi, but Elijah who was looking concernedly down at her.

"Hi," she said, a bit bewildered, "What are you doing here?"

"Are you okay?"

_Huh?_ Sarah blinked in confusion. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I saw my cousin come over here, and I was afraid he—"

"Your _cousin_?!" Sarah was too shocked to hide her amazement. Eli looked bemused.

"Yes. Levi's father was—_is _my mother's brother."

"Whoa." Sarah rubbed her temples with one hand. "You mean you and Levi are _related_? That's…kind of hard to believe." Sarah bit her lip in dismay. _Did I really just say that?_

To her surprise, Eli chuckled. "Yes, Levi is my cousin. He is younger than me by a little more than a year, but he acts much older than his age. I apologize for him if he did anything to offend you."

"Oh, don't worry. Levi didn't do anything offensive." Seeing the disbelieving look on Elijah's face, Sarah conceded with a grin, "Okay, so maybe he _did _use some vocabulary that was not _too_…dignified."

Eli smiled back. "I thought so."

Then there was an awkward pause while both tried to think up something to say. At last, Sarah asked, "So, do you come to these…parties often?"

"Me? No, I do not go to parties when I can help it. It is only because Rebekah wants to experience the outside world that I come. I like to keep an eye on her in case…"

"…someone tries to accost her in some back alley?"

Elijah was not smiling anymore. "Yes. Something like that. To tell the truth, these types of gatherings do not make me feel very comfortable."

"Me too." Sarah confided. "I only came because Jenna dragged me here. I don't know how to socialize, and I have no idea how to dance…not that I'd want to…so there really is no point for my presence here."

The grin reappeared on Eli's face. "You can always do what I do under these circumstances."

"And that would be…?"

"Eat."


	11. A Test of Tolerance

Elijah showed Sarah to the refreshment table, which was situated near the front entrance and was littered with plates of cookies, bowls of punch, and platters of fruit. Somehow, Sarah hadn't noticed it when she walked in.

Grabbing a cookie and a cup of punch, Sarah followed Eli to a corner in which a lone cooler sat—far away from the dancing couples in the middle of the room.

"What's in there?" Sarah asked, gesturing at the cooler, and taking a bite of her cookie. Oatmeal raisin.

"That is where our hosts keep the…" A small group of laughing teenagers cut between Eli and Sarah, opened the cooler, and drew out several cans of beer. Sarah's eyes grew wide with horror. As soon as the group left, she turned to Eli.

"They have _alcoholic beverages _in here?" she asked in utter amazement.

Elijah looked a little surprised. "Yes," he answered, "a lot of the _Englischers_ and even some of the more radical Amish teenagers like to bring beer or wine to their parties."

"I see. Please excuse me." Sarah started for the door. Eli ran to catch up with her, and arrived just as she stepped out into the moonlight.

"Did I bother you? I am sorry, I didn't mean…" Sarah chuckled at his worried expression.

"No, no, it's not you." She reassured him. "I just remembered that people sometimes spike the punch bowls at parties, and I was coming out here to dump this." Sarah walked away from the door toward a shimmering black pond behind the house, and turned her paper cup upside down. Translucent pink liquid splashed out of the cup and soaked into the grass.

Sarah watched the punch trickle into the ground. "Good thing I didn't drink any of that."

Eli smiled. "I don't think they would spike the punch bowl. But perhaps you are right. It is better to be safe than sorry."

"I'll say." Sarah bent down and picked up a smooth, flat rock. Straightening, she gazed meditatively at the pond. "I don't think I want to go back in. Why don't you go on ahead, and if Rebekah or Jenna asks for me, tell them I'm here."

"To tell the truth…I do not want to go back in, either." Elijah admitted. "I prefer being outside in God's natural world."

Sarah nodded in agreement and tossed her rock a few times. Suddenly, she asked, "Have you ever skipped rocks before?"

"Yes."

"Great! We can have a rock-skipping contest." Without warning, Sarah danced a few steps closer to the pond, and flicked her wrist. The stone flew through the air in a graceful arc and landed on the surface of the water, bouncing three times before sinking into its inky depths.

"Your turn," Sarah tossed another rock at Eli. He caught it and looked at it uncertainly. "Go on," she urged. Shrugging, Eli stepped closer to the water and threw. It bounced four times. Sarah clapped, delighted.

"Looks like you're winning right now. But we'll soon see about that." She searched the ground for another skipping stone. As she straightened up, voices could be heard coming from the doorway of the barn. Three teenagers emerged.

"Whew! What a party! I need to take a li'l breather…"

"Same here. Dude, did you see all those awesome chicks?" The one who had just spoken gave a low wolf whistle, and the other two laughed. Sarah stiffened. They were coming closer to the lake. Any time now, they'd see her and…

"Well, well, well, what have we here? Two lovebirds having a midnight rendezvous by a lake?" The teenager gave an unnatural, high-pitched laugh, and Sarah realized that he was drunk. The other two probably were, as well. Instinctively, Elijah and Sarah stood closer together, sensing that there was safety in numbers. The newcomers noticed.

"Oooh. Scared, are we?" They came closer.

One of them stood in front of Sarah. "Hey, missy. What's your name?" Sarah groaned inwardly. _Not again!_

Eli was speaking. "Please leave us alone. We are not bothering you."

The three newcomers seemed to think that was hilarious. They laughed, slapped their knees, and weaved around drunkenly.

"Fred, did you hear that? Did you hear what that little Plain Boy said?"

Fred grinned wolfishly. "Yeah, I heard that." He turned to Eli. "Maybe you ain't botherin' us, but _we _want to bother _you_." Suddenly, he snatched Sarah toward him, laughing at the shocked expression on Eli's face.

"That bother you, huh?" He taunted. "Wanna fight?" Eli seemed frozen in place.

Sarah squirmed, but her attacker had a grip as strong as iron. She faintly heard footsteps, and then two familiar voices in the distance.

"…wonder where she went. And Elijah, too."

"I think I saw them come outside…somewhere around here…"

It was Jenna and Rebekah.

Sarah cried out. "Jenna! Rebekah! Help!"

"Be quiet, you stinking Plain Girl." Fred slapped her across the face. Without thinking, Sarah stomped on his foot with the back of her heel. Hard.

Cursing, the teen released her and fell to the ground. Sarah turned to run, but he leapt up angrily and gave her a furious shove. Sarah was standing on the bank of the pond, and her old tennis shoes were no match for the slippery mud. With a startled cry, she fell into the lake.

Jenna and Rebekah could tell something was wrong. They ran toward the pond, screaming, "Sarah! Sarah, are you okay?"

Jenna tripped, falling to her knees. "I can't see her! She's not coming up! You killed her!" Jenna scrambled to her feet, throwing clumps of sod at the three teens, who suddenly looked very frightened. They whirled around and ran away as fast as they could.

Rebekah was frightened, too. "The pond's ten feet deep! Sarah, can you hear me? Come out, please come out!"

Eli was grimly throwing off his jacket, preparing to dive into the water's icy depths. Just then, a hand appeared on the edge of the bank, and Sarah crawled painstakingly out, dripping and coughing.

"Sarah!" Rebekah and Jenna cried with relief, hugging their friend despite her sogginess. Eli stepped away from the edge and hurried toward the girls.

"Please…cough…I need to have a little room…" Sarah begged. Reluctantly, the others released her and stood a little apart. Sarah wheezed and water trickled out of her mouth.

"Are you okay?" Rebekah asked, biting her lip anxiously.

"Yes, just give me a moment." Sarah waved away her friends' concern, and took several deep breaths. The others leaned closer to her, still worried. Everything grew silent.

Suddenly, Sarah started laughing. Jenna looked at her as if she had gone crazy.

"They…they thought…that I was Amish. They were trying to…" she burst into another peal of laughter. Jenna felt her friend's forehead in concern.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Sarah calmed herself down. "Jenna, I'm _not_ going hysterical. Relax." She got up off the grass and wrung her hair dry. "Those boys were just being prejudiced. Don't mind them. I'm okay."

Rebekah looked angry. "Those teenagers are always claiping us! I'm sorry you had to experience that on your first visit to our neighborhood. They are ruining the image of Nappannee."

Sarah put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "It's okay, Rebekah. I understand." She said gently. Then she looked down at her dripping clothes. "I think I have to go. I'm so sorry for inconveniencing you guys. I know you wanted to have fun with your other friends."

The others protested loudly, saying it was no trouble at all, and they headed back to the Longacre buggy; Jenna and Sarah in front, Rebekah and her brother two steps behind.

Jenna wrapped an arm around her friend, to keep her warm, but Sarah's teeth were chattering, and she was beginning to shiver uncontrollably no matter how hard she tried not to show it. The cold winter wind didn't help things, either.

Soft footsteps came up next to Sarah. Elijah had taken off his coat and silently offered it to her. Sarah shook her head.

"It's okay. I'll be fine."

But Jenna said sternly, "Take it, Sarah. You need to keep warm." With a nod of appreciation to Eli, she accepted the coat and wrapped it around her sodden friend. Sarah did not argue. Slowly, her shaking grew less violent, though her teeth were still chattering from the cold. The four of them made their way to the buggy, and Eli flicked the reins, calling to the horses urgently. They raised their large heads and snorted, as if surprised that their master had returned so early. But they shook out their chestnut manes and began the long journey back to the Longacre homestead.


	12. Quilts

The buggy stopped first at the Longacre house. Eli dropped off Rebekah and Sarah, then took Jenna to her grandmother's house to share the news. Rebekah hustled Sarah into the warm wooden house, where she stood, dripping and shivering.

"Oma! Opa! We need a little help!"

"What is it, Rebekah…? Oh my!" Mrs. Longacre came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on the plain blue apron tied around her waist. She froze when she saw Sarah. "What happened?"

"Some boys thought Sarah was Amish and tried to hurt her." Rebekah explained.

Mrs. Longacre's hand flew to her mouth. Then she called out, "Mary! Matthew! Come here, I need your help!" The two children appeared as if out of nowhere. Ethan, also, appeared, called by the anxiety in his wife's voice. When he saw Sarah, he froze.

"What is it, Oma…?" Mary asked, concerned. Then she, too, froze when she saw the state that Sarah was in.

"Matthew, go grab some blankets, and tell Gabriella to bring something warm to drink." Mrs. Longacre ordered her son. Then, with Rebekah and her Mary's help, she took Sarah into a bedroom and found some dry clothes for her. When Sarah had changed, and had wrung out her sopping hair, they led her to the living room, where a fire was lit in the fireplace. Gabby and Matthew appeared with a cup of hot cider and several quilts.

Sarah shivered, even with the fire sending waves of warmth across her face.

"I'm so sorry to bother you," she apologized. "I didn't mean to make you go out of your way…how can I pay you back?" Martha hushed her.

"The Bible teaches us to help those in need. Do not worry about payment."

Just then, the door opened, and Eli entered, with Jenna and her grandmother behind.

"Oh, my dear!" Mrs. Merkle exclaimed, running to Sarah's side. "What happened?"

Quickly, Jenna, Eli, and Rebekah explained to everyone present.

"I see," Mrs. Merkle said, a frown darkening her brow. Then she turned to the Longacres with a grateful smile. "Thank you so much for taking care of Sarah. I think I'd better take her home now…I hate to bother you."

Ethan and Martha protested, and even offered to have Sarah spend the night in Rebekah and Mary's room, but Mrs. Merkle was firm, and Sarah was glad to stop relying on the Longacre's hospitality.

Soon, they had Sarah bundled up and tucked into Jenna's green sedan. With another "thank you so much," the three headed home, leaving Martha, Eli, and their children standing on the porch. Slowly, one by one, the children went back inside, but Martha stayed where she was, looking after the car in puzzlement.

"Martha?" Ethan asked, gesturing to the open door.

"It is strange, Ethan. I keep having the feeling that I have seen the girl before somewhere. But that cannot be right…I do not remember meeting her before." Martha mused, half to herself. Ethan bit his lip.

Martha shook her head to clear it of her enigmatic thoughts. "We should go. We are letting in all the cold air. I was probably only imagining things." She smiled at Ethan, and went inside. Ethan paused before following her example.

"Yes, probably," he whispered to himself.

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Sarah woke up with an earsplitting headache and a nasty cold the next day. Even though she protested, Jenna and Mrs. Merkle insisted on waiting on her hand and foot.

"Honestly, Jenna, I'm alright." Sarah said as Jenna brought yet another hot water bottle to the bed.

Mrs. Merkle, who was right behind her granddaughter with a tray of hot soup and crackers overheard Sarah's protest.

"Of course you aren't, honey. But you rest up and let us help you a little bit, and soon you'll be fine and dandy. Oh dear, what _were _those nasty local boys thinking? I'm so sorry you had to get sick on your first visit here!" Mrs. Merkle fretted.

"It's fine…it isn't your fault." Sarah tried to smile at the kindly old lady, but ended up going into a coughing fit. Quickly, Jenna scurried out for more blankets. Sarah sighed and leaned back on her pillows. She wasn't used to being treated like an invalid princess. She sort of wished that Jenna, at least, might have something to do to keep her occupied, so Sarah wouldn't feel so guilty about taking up her time.

As if in answer to her secret wish, the doorbell suddenly rang.

"I'll get it!" Jenna called from somewhere in the house. Running footsteps could be heard, and then the front door was thrown open, letting in a draft that sneaked its way into Sarah's room. She shivered.

"Hello, Jenna. I came to see if Sarah is alright." It was Rebekah.

"Well, she sort of has a cold. Would you like to come in? It's freezing out there!"

"Thank you." Rebekah entered the house, and Jenna closed the door.

"C'mon, she's in here." Jenna led the way to Sarah's sickroom. Pretty soon, Rebekah appeared in the doorway with a basket of food.

"Oma sent these for you. She wants to know how you are feeling."

"Quite well, thank you." Sarah smiled, then sneezed. "I just have a little cold."

"I am glad to hear that you are okay. But I'm afraid I have to go. Oma wants me to pick up some items at the store for her." Rebekah smiled at Sarah, then turned to leave.

Suddenly, Sarah had an idea. "Rebekah, do you want some company?" Rebekah looked puzzled.

"No, that's alright. You need to rest."

"Oh, I wasn't thinking of myself." Sarah turned to Jenna, who started to protest. "Go, Jenna. You need a little break from playing nurse all morning. It'd be good for you."

"But Sarah…!" Jenna started, but Sarah hushed her with a look.

"Go. I insist. It will make me get better faster if I know you are having a good time. This is your vacation, too." Uncertain, Jenna looked at her grandmother. But Mrs. Merkle seemed to understand how Sarah was feeling.

"Go on, child. I'll look after your friend for you."

Jenna allowed herself to be led out the door. With a content sigh, Sarah pulled the covers up to her neck and fell asleep.

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	13. A Call From Home

Sarah was awakened by the telephone's insistent ringing. Out in the kitchen, she heard Mrs. Merkle pick up the phone and answer it.

"Hello? Oh, yes, yes of course…she's sleeping right now, but I'll go and see if she's awake. I'm sure she'll want to speak to you."

Sarah sat straight up in bed. A call? For her? The movement sent her into a fit of coughing, and she reeled a little—her head hurt like crazy.

Mrs. Merkle entered the room with the phone.

"Sarah, dear, it's your mother," she said, seeing that Sarah was already awake.

"Thank you," Sarah smiled gratefully at Jenna's grandmother before taking the phone. "Hello?" she said into the mouthpiece.

"Sarah! How are you doing, darling? Mrs. Merkle called me up this morning and told me you were sick, but you were sleeping, so I didn't want her to wake you up. Make sure you wrap up well—wear _at least _four layers before you go outside, and drink lots of fluids. I can give Mrs. Merkle my orange peel tea recipe; and don't over-exert yourself—we can't have you coming down with bronchitis…oh, and Sarah? Make sure you sleep warmly, too—do you have enough blankets?"  
"_Yes_, Mother," Sarah said, laughing. "It's nice to hear from you again, too."

Leah had called Sarah just about every other day since she had gotten to Nappanee, and each time, she said just about the same things: dress warmly, eat well, don't get sick, etc., etc. Sarah didn't mind, though. She knew it was just her mother's way of expressing her love and concern.

"Well, then…" Leah said, finished with her list of daily reminders. "Guess what happened yesterday?"

"What? Tell me."

"Tim and Beth came home! Jason's still in Europe, though. But at least the others are here."

Sarah gasped in excitement. "Really? When?"

"Just last night. I was over at their parent's house, and they surprised us all."

"That's so cool!" Sarah gushed. Timothy and Elizabeth Long, and their oldest brother, Jason Long, were Sarah's honorary siblings, as she had no biological ones of her own. Beth, the youngest, was twenty, Timmy was twenty-four, and Jason was twenty-six.

The three of them were the children of Camille and Elias Long, who were longtime friends of Sarah's mother. In fact, Elias had helped Leah get her first job as an elementary school teacher when she completed college.

"Guess what else?" Leah was saying. "I have another surprise for you."

"What is it? A nice surprise?"

"You betcha!" Sarah heard her mother cover the mouthpiece and call to someone far away. "She's awake! Come over here!"

Then her hand left the mouthpiece, and a deep masculine voice said, "Hello?'

"Timmy? Is that you?"

"Well, if it isn't my honorary little sister…how goes the vacation?" Sarah could hear Timmy grinning over the telephone.

"It's great…I caught a little cold, though."

"I know, I heard. Your ma told me. Be sure to take care of yourself, 'k? Drink lots of fluids, dress warmly, wear lots of layers, and eat lots of hot foods."

Sarah groaned. "Tim, I just heard all of that from Mom two seconds ago."

Tim laughed. "I know. Just wanted to remind you…hold on. Beth wants to talk to you—" he was cut off, and a breathless voice was heard.

"Hello? Sarah? Is that really you?"

"Yep. Where are you?"

"At your mom's house, of course. How's your vacation going?"

"Fine. How was college?"

Beth groaned. "Don't ask. It's _hard_. I don't know why Dad loved college so much. It's a pain in the neck, if you ask me."

Sarah laughed. "Well, you have to study to become a pediatrician, you know."

"Don't remind me. Hey, maybe I can change my major to something easier…like fashion designing, maybe?"

"Right, Beth. As if you could design anything to save your life."

"Well, it's worth a try, isn't it?"

"I suppose…but I think you should stick with the doctoring—you're good with kids."

"Hmm…I'll keep your advice in mind."

"Yes, you do that." Sarah leaned back in the bed, her sickness all but forgotten. Talking to the Longs had that effect on people. Beth, Tim, and Jason were raised in a traditional home, and their mom and dad were former Mennonites and Amish people, respectively. Yet they were lively, ambitious young adults with a great sense of humor. Sarah looked them, and they, in turn, treated her exactly like their own little sister.

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After speaking to Timmy, Beth, and Leah on the phone, Sarah hung up, refreshed and feeling a bit better. In fact, she felt like taking a stroll outside.

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Merkle asked when Sarah expressed her wish.

"Yes; I'll be perfectly fine, don't worry."

"Well…okay…but let me pack you a snack."

Sarah told her not to bother, but it was to no avail. In ten minutes, Sarah had a picnic basket under one arm, a blanket under the other arm, and a heavy blue coat over her shoulders. She also brought one of her oldest stuffed animals, a large white rabbit whose coat was starting to turn a bit gray. It was a present her father had given her for her third birthday.

With all her supplies in hand, Sarah set off down the driveway, not sure where she was intending to go. The day was quite warm and sunny for winter, so Sarah decided to make use of the good weather and headed away from town, toward the more agrarian part of Nappanee.

Sarah was surprised when she found herself on the Longacre farm, twenty minutes later—she hadn't been meaning to go there. But she shrugged, and headed towards the house. Perhaps Rebekah was there, and they could have a picnic together, or something. Sarah wasn't sure exactly what the Amish did on Saturday, the Sabbath, but perhaps they were home.

As she got closer to the door, she saw that rooms were completely dark. Not a thing stirred within the house. So they weren't home, after all. Sarah turned around. Oh well, she'd just find some nice scenery, and sit a while in silence.

Not far from the house, she spotted some trees—it looked like a little forest. Figuring that that was as good a place as any to settle down, Sarah made her way into the trees until at last she found a little clearing. A tree stump sat in the middle of the clearing, wide and thick. Sarah placed the basket there, and spread the blanket beneath her.

She took the food out of the basket and arranged it on the tree stump, but didn't eat it right away. Instead, she reached into the basket, withdrew her stuffed rabbit, and hugged it, staring pensively out at the trees.

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"_Sarah, come here and look at this!" _

_Six-year-old Sarah hurried to her father's side, and he lifted her up to get a good look at the robin's nest he had found. _

"_Wait! Put me down!" She cried. Puzzled, her father did as she asked._

"_What…?" A s soon as her feet touched the ground, Sarah ran towards the picnic blanket where her mother was waiting._

"_Mommy, where's Mr. Bunny?"_

"_Right here, darling. I'll keep him safe for you." Leah picked up a fluffy white rabbit and set it on her lap._

"_Can I have him for a minute? I want to show him something Daddy found."_

_Leah handed the toy to her excited daughter who immediately ran back to the tree._

"_Lift me up again, Daddy, so Mr. Bunny can see."_

"_Oh, I get it now," David Logan laughed, setting the little girl on his shoulders, "We don't want Mr. Bunny to miss all the action, do we?"_

"_No," Sarah peeked at the nest again, holding up the rabbit so he could see, too. "Do you see that, Mr. Bunny?" she whispered to the toy. "That's a robin's nest. Daddy said so."_

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The real Sarah smiled at the memory, holding the now ragged Mr. Bunny out at arm's length.

"Remember that day in the woods, when we saw the robin's nest?" She asked Mr. Bunny. "All those tiny little fragile eggs…I know I'll never forget them."

She also knew she wouldn't forget that day in the forest, sitting on her father's broad shoulders and laughing as he chased her and threw her up in the air. It wasn't long after that when he got cancer, and was too weak to throw her in the air anymore. Cancer. Such a terrible, ugly word.

Sarah's mom had taken it especially hard when she heard that her husband had cancer. Leah used to have cancer, too, when she was a teenager. She never told Sarah much about it though, except whenever she mentioned that an angel had visited her and cured her.

Leah believed that David, her husband and Sarah's father, would recover pretty much the same way she did, long ago—by a miracle. Sarah knew her mom kept expecting the angel to reappear and put her dad's cancer into permanent remission. And for a time after the first round of chemotherapy, it seemed that Dave _was _cured, after all.

By then, Sarah was too big to ride on her dad's shoulders anymore, but she didn't care. It was enough having her dad back, healthy and happy. But then, a little over a year ago…

Inexplicably, Dave had gotten ill again. The doctors said it was the cancer returning, fiercer than ever. Leah was outraged. "That can't be true! He's been in remission for over five years! You're supposed to be cured after five years!"

But Dave wasn't cured. Instead, he'd gotten weaker and weaker until—

Sarah gripped Mr. Bunny tightly, her knuckles turning white. No! She wouldn't think of the end…she would always remember her dad as the healthy, normal father who had carried his daughter around on his shoulders and showed her robin's nests.

But try as she might, Sarah couldn't prevent a tear from slipping out of the corner of her eye and sliding down her cheek. It splashed on Mr. Bunny's graying fur, and Sarah stared at it in wonder. Then she suddenly buried her face in the stuffed animal's fur and started to cry.

"Isn't this ridiculous?" she sobbed into Mr. Bunny's fur. "I'm not supposed to cry anymore. I thought the tears would be over by now, or at least the pain would get a little better…Daddy would've wanted me to be happy and strong…instead I'm blubbering like some idiot…it's just…I miss him so much!"

Sarah hugged her knees and rocked back and forth, weeping. Weeping for her father, who would never see his daughter grow up. Weeping for her mother, widowed way before her time. Weeping for herself, fatherless at seventeen.

Sarah took several deep breaths, trying to stop the convulsions. At length, the tears subsided, and she sat still, exhausted. It was so lonely, sobbing in the middle of the forest with no one but a ratty old stuffed animal to comfort you. And just this morning, she'd been starting to feel a little better because of her mom's phone call. Now, her cold had set in again, full force.

Sarah looked down at Mr. Bunny. He had a damp patch on his stomach the size of a coaster.

Sarah smiled through her tears. "Oh look, I got you all wet. Sorry about that." Taking a corner of the blanket she was sitting on, she wiped Mr. Bunny as best she could. Then she sighed and stood up, pulling the blanket off the grass.

"I don't think I feel much like eating right now, do you?" When Mr. Bunny did not reply, Sarah sighed again. "C'mon, let's go back." She rolled the blanket up and started to put it in the basket, when she heard a small noise behind her.

Stiffening, Sarah turned slowly, expecting to see some wild creature, perhaps, or maybe even nothing—maybe she had just imagined the noise. Instead, she found herself looking into a pair of deep blue eyes, the color of a robin's eggs.

It was Eli.


	14. Meeting in the Woods

Sarah and Eli stared at each other for a moment, both feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting you… I was just leaving." Eli began to head back as he came.

"Wait!" Sarah didn't know what made her call out—maybe it was loneliness, or more likely, insanity—but Elijah stopped and turned.

"Umm…are you hungry?" Sarah asked nervously.

"What?" Eli looked puzzled.

"Well, you see, I was supposed to eat all this stuff for lunch—Mrs. Merkle packed it for me—but then I…sort of lost my appetite, and if I go back with a full basket, she'll think something's wrong with me, and she'll probably call my mom, who will most likely have a heart attack, then come rushing over here to pick me up, and I don't want her to do _that_ because she's supposed to be on _vacation _right now…so I was wondering if you could help me eat it." Sarah groaned inwardly. She felt like crawling into a hole and staying there for the next hundred years. She couldn't believe she'd just blurted out all that stuff to Eli! An almost-complete stranger!

But Eli just grinned. "Sure." He said, coming into the clearing. "Mrs. Merkle is a wonderful cook. I have no objections."

Sarah managed to give him a small smile before occupying herself with re-unpacking the picnic basket. What had she gotten herself into?

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Elijah encouraged Sarah to eat something, but she declined, and he didn't push it further. He was a fast eater, and Mrs. Merkle hadn't packed much. Within moments, all the food was gone.

"Thanks for your help," Sarah said, a bit amused by Eli's huge appetite.

"Your welcome. Although _I _should be thanking _you_ for allowing me to sample some of Mrs. Merkle's famous pumpkin pie." Eli laughed.

"Oh, it's no big deal." Sarah assured him.

"How are you feeling now? Is your cold better?" Elijah asked in concern.

"Oh yes, thanks. Jenna and her grandmother have been pampering me head and foot. I feel like some sort of princess now. Maybe I ought to get sick more often." Sarah smiled.

Eli looked serious. "Nobody would want that. Take care of yourself, Sarah."

Sarah blinked. "Umm…okay."

"Are you sure you're alright? Those boys at the party didn't know what they were doing."

_Oh!_ Sarah thought to herself. Finally she realized what Eli was saying. He still felt responsible because she, his honorary guest, had been dunked while under his supervision. So when he'd found her crying in the clearing, he automatically assumed that it was because of yesterday's events.

"I'm perfectly fine," she told Eli. "Those boys were just being teenagers. It's not that…"

Seeing that Elijah was not completely assured, Sarah reached for her stuffed rabbit. "My dad gave me Mr. Bunny for my birthday a long, long time ago. He was always one of my favorite stuffed animals. And when my dad…" Sarah gulped and continued, "when my dad died of cancer a year ago, I started to go on walks every Saturday with Mr. Bunny. Saturday was always my dad's favorite day of the week." She whispered the last part softly, remembering bygone days. Eli's blue eyes softened in understanding.

"I'm sorry. I did not know you were going through such hard times."

"It's okay." Sarah sighed. "That's why my mom sent me here in the first place, actually. She thought that I would feel better sooner if I spent some time away from home. But, to tell the truth, I don't think I'll ever feel better." She put on a brave smile and straightened. "What am I doing? Here I am, rattling off about my boring personal life, and hardly giving you a chance to speak. What about you? Tell me about your family."

"I have been very fortunate," Eli said. "There is Opa and Oma, my grandparents on my father's side, and my mother and father, of course. My oldest sister Tillie is named after my grandmother, and she's a wonderful seamstress—she's married, though, so I'm the oldest in the family now. After me is Rebekah, then Mary, and then the little ones: Matthew and Gabriella."

"You're so lucky to live in a big family. Sometimes I think I'd feel a lot better if I had a little brother or sister to take care of."

"Yes, siblings are a blessing to have, and I've been blessed five times over."

"I'll say." Sarah smiled.

Just then, the sound of cracking twigs could be heard. "Elijah!" A small voice called out. "Elijah, where are you?" seconds later, Matthew burst into the clearing.

"Elija—ow!" Matthew tripped over a rock and fell onto Sarah's lap. Laughing, she helped the little boy up.

"Whoa there, Matthew. Be careful where you're going."

"Sorry." Matthew looked embarrassed as he quickly picked himself up. "Did you see my broth—?"

"Over here, Matthew." Eli stood up as his brother turned and spotted him. "What is it?"

"Pa wants you to help him with the firewood." The little boy said.

"Okay, I'm coming." He took Matthew's hand and turned to Sarah. "It was nice talking with you. Thank you again. I'm sorry I have to leave so soon. Do you need help cleaning up?"

Sarah shook her head. "No, go on, I'll be fine."

"'Bye Sarah!" Matthew waved as he tugged his older brother along.

"'Bye!" She called, waving back at him. She watched as they disappeared into the trees, then turned with a small smile and began to clean up.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Where were you? I was so worried!" Jenna greeted Sarah at the door, throwing her arms around her friend.

"I went for a little walk. Your grandmother helped me fix a picnic basket. She didn't tell you about it?"

"Well, yes, but…you went on a picnic without _me_? How _could _you, Sarah?" Jenna released her friend and clutched her heart dramatically.

"I'm sorry, Jenna. You're right, I should've waited."

Jenna grinned and slung one arm over Sarah's shoulders. "Don't be _silly_. Of _course_ you should go whenever you want to. After all, we can't have little ol' me tagging along with you _all_ the time. I'm glad to see that you're finally feeling better, by the way. But don't over exert yourself, 'k? You're still pretty weak."

"Okay." Sarah agreed. She _was_ feeling a little fatigued from all that crying, and besides, she could feel the headache coming back. "Why don't we go into our room and chat?"

"Sure!" Jenna bounded ahead, calling out to her grandmother to let her know Sarah had returned from her walk.

The two girls went inside and settled on their beds. "So, who's going first?" Jenna asked, bouncing up and down on the mattress.

"You can," Sarah said. "I'll just listen."

"Okay. So, Rebekah and I went to the store, 'cause her mom needed some material to make a new dress for Gabriella—she's really growing these days—and we met Susannah there. Did I tell you about Susannah? No, I don't think I did. Well, I'll tell you about her now…"

Sarah closed her eyes, listening to the soothing rhythm of her friend's excited chatter.

"…so, anyway, I ended up helping Rebekah carry the groceries home. There was a whole _lot _of stuff. Her mom and Mary were baking raisin bread, and they made me try some, so that's why I was late coming back, but the bread was _really _good. Mrs. Longacre is a really good cook, you know. Oh! And did I tell you? She invited us all over to dinner this Thursday…"

And that was the last thing Sarah heard as sleep claimed her tired body.


	15. A Disastrous Dinner Party

"I can't believe we're going home soon!" Jenna sighed dramatically and flung herself on the bed.

"Yeah," Sarah agreed. "Nappanee has been great. It's wonderful here."

"You know the worst part of it all? School is starting again, too. I think I'm going to die of grief."

Sarah laughed. "Oh, come on. School isn't that bad."

"Ha! That's what _you _think, Miss I-get-straight-A's-all-the-time."

"I don't get straight A's _all _the time—"

"Jenna? Call for you." Mrs. Merkle poked her head through the door of the girls' room, holding out a black telephone.

"Oh. It must be my mom. Hello?" Jenna said, taking the receiver from her grandmother. "Yeah, Mom. I'm fine. We'll be coming home in a few days. Yes, she's getting better. The cold's pretty much gone, now. We're going over to Rebekah's for dinner. Yep, yes…mm-hmm…wait, what? Really? You're serious? That's a great idea, Mom! I'll have to ask, but I'm sure they'd love to. OK, gotta go. Love ya!"

Excited, Jenna slammed the receiver down on the table. "Guess what, Sarah? My mom just gave me the greatest idea!"

"What is it?"

"Why don't we invite Rebekah and Elijah over to our place for a week? I mean, we came over here, and we learned all about their culture and stuff, so now I think it's their turn to learn about the _Englischer _world!"

Sarah bit her lip. "Well, you know Rebekah and Eli are really busy on the farm…do you think they'd really agree to go? And even if they did, would their parents?"

Jenna put her hands on her hip. "Sarah, you're no fun at all. I was having the best idea in the world, and you just _had _to go ruin it with your down-to-earth-y practicality." She stuck her tongue out at her friend.

Sarah laughed and held up her hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay. I was just pointing out the fact that there's hardly any chance that they'd agree to your scheme. But if you want to ask them, that's fine with me."

"It'd better be, 'cause I'm going to ask them tonight. And if they say yes—which they will, because I'm so irresistibly persuasive—you're going to have to be a tour guide with me."

"Sure, Jen. Whatever." Sarah said, smiling to herself.

Mrs. Merkle poked her head back through the doorway. "Girls? It's time to go. The Longacres are expecting us. Jenna, are you done with the phone?"

"Yep." Jenna placed the receiver in her grandmother's outstretched hands, and turned to Sarah. "Let's go!"

:-------------:-----------------:-----------------:

"Ma! They're here!" Gabriella Longacre ran into the house as soon as she saw the green sedan pulling up around the corner. "Jenna and Sarah are here!"

"Gabriella, help me set the table," Martha said, placing a large salad bowl in the middle of the heavy oak dining table. "Rebekah! Your friends are here!" She called. But Rebekah was already opening the door for Jenna, Sarah, and Mrs. Merkle.

"Hi! Dinner is almost ready. Would you like to give me your coats?"

"Thank you, Rebekah," Mrs. Merkle smiled as Rebekah hung the coats up on a rack near the door.

As they entered the room, a gray haired man who closely resembled Eli entered through a door the other side, and went to greet the visitors.

"Welcome," he said. His voice was strong and deep, and his pale blue eyes were serious.

"Thank you for inviting us," Mrs. Merkle said. Jenna said nothing, only smiled and nodded, somewhat nervously. Sarah noticed, and did likewise. She saw that the old man was looking at them with…was it disapproval? Sarah didn't know what they'd done wrong. But she hardly had time to think it over when an older Amish woman who looked like Rebekah entered the room.

"Eustacia!" She exclaimed, addressing Mrs. Merkle.

"Tillie! It is wonderful to see you!" Mrs. Merkle greeted the woman warmly.

"It is wonderful to see you, too. Jenna, you have grown so much!"

Jenna relaxed. She was obviously more comfortable around Rebekah's grandmother than her grandfather. "Thank you, Mrs. Longacre. I don't think I've introduced you to my friend yet. This is Sarah Logan. We go to the same school."

Tillie Longacre smiled at Sarah. "Welcome, Sarah. Did you enjoy your trip in Nappanee?"

"Yes, very much, thanks." Sarah smiled back.

Just then, the door opened again. Eli emerged, and greeted his guests with a pleasant smile.

"Good evening Mrs. Merkle, Jenna, Sarah. Welcome."

Behind him was another youth. The boy had his head lowered, and his hands shoved deep within his jeans pockets. A shaggy mane of sandy hair hung over his eyes and his shirt was only half tucked in.

_Strange, I didn't know Rebekah had another brother her age…_Sarah thought quizzically. _And why does he look so sloppy? With a stern grandfather like Mr. Longacre, there's no way he could get away with that. Hmm… I wonder why I haven't seen him before._

She didn't realize she was staring at the boy until he looked up. Piercing green eyes met her chocolate brown ones. And suddenly, she realized that she _had _seen this youth before.

_Oh, please, God, no._

Levi shoved his hands even deeper into his pockets and sauntered over to where his older cousin stood, exchanging greetings with his guests. "Hey," he drawled in the general direction of all the newcomers, but his eyes focused on Sarah. "I didn't know _Englischers_ were coming over for dinner."

"Levi, I believe there are some chores for you to do in the kitchen." Mr. Longacre's already disapproving look deepened considerably, and his blue eyes grew hard as he stared at the boy. Levi, cowed, slunk away, but not before he could shoot another smirk at the crowd.

"I apologize for my grandson. He has not had parents long enough for them to teach him any proper manners."

"No harm done. He was probably just teasing." Mrs. Merkle assured him with a strained smile. It was obvious, however, that she knew Levi was not 'probably just teasing.'"

"Dinner is ready," Martha Longacre announced, emerging from the kitchen with an apron tied about her waist, and saving the group from an awkward situation.

"Thank you Martha." Without another word, Rebekah's grandfather led the way into the dining room.

:---------------:-------------:-------------:

"Why does Levi seem to hate _Englischers _so much?" Sarah whispered to Jenna as they followed the others into the dining room, "He seems more English than all the others combined."

"I don't know," Jenna answered. "But don't take it personally. He generally doesn't like anybody, and nobody likes him much, either."

"That's so sad."

Jenna shrugged and didn't say another word as they entered and took their seats at the table. Ethan Longacre sat at the head of the rectangular table, his wife at the other end, his parents beside him, and his children and guests at the sides of the table.

The meal started with the oldest Mr. Longacre saying grace. "…please bless this food which we are about to partake of, and bless everyone here at this table. Amen."

"Amen's" were heard all around the table, and then there was the sound of clattering china and metal spoons as the food was passed to everyone seated.

"This chicken pot pie is really delicious," Mrs. Merkle complimented Martha as she sampled a slice. "I really don't know how you manage to make such excellent food all the time."

Mrs. Longacre smiled in appreciation. "Thank you. But I don't deserve any credit. I learned everything from my mother-in-law."

"And, if you'll recall, I learned that recipe from you, Eustacia," Tillie added, turning to Mrs. Merkle.

"Really? You seem to have made substantial improvements to the recipe since I last gave it to you, then. I didn't even know I knew how to make chicken pot pie!"

Everyone laughed at this, then Martha turned to Jenna. "How are you enjoying your visit in Nappanee, Jenna? Is everything the same as it was since you last came?"  
"Oh, there have been a few changes here and there. But I think Nappanee is still the same old wonderful town it's always been." Jenna replied with a grin.

"That's good to hear. When are you returning home?" Tillie asked.

"Very soon. School starts again for us on Monday."

"I see. So you and Sarah will be returning on Friday or Saturday?"

"Well…yes. Actually, I wanted to ask you a question, Mrs. Longacre. And you too, Mr. Longacre."

Surprised, and a little curious, Ethan Longacre nodded to Jenna. "Yes, what is it?"

"I was wondering if it would be okay with you if Sarah and I brought Elijah and Rebekah back with us for a few days. I know that they are going through their _rumspringa _trial period right now, and it might be interesting for them to experience our world, the English world, firsthand before their trial period ended. Because _rumspringa _is when Amish teens get to experience worlds outside their own, right? And without ever _going _into the English world, how can an Amish teenager truly experience that?"

When Jenna finished, there was a heavy silence all around. Mrs. Merkle looked surprised. Martha, Elijah, and Rebekah Longacre looked shocked. But Ethan Longacre looked half amused and half distracted, as if he were thinking about a time long past.

"I'm sorry, Jenna," he said at last. "Even if we were comfortable with letting Eli and Rebekah venture into the English world, we need them at home to do the chores. Planting season is almost here and Gabriella and Matthew are not yet old enough to do everything on their own. Besides, we would never want them to be a burden to you and your family."

At this point, Sarah personally felt that she would have given up. She would've said "Oh, that's alright" demurely, and backed off. But Jenna was never one to give up when she had her mind made. Respectfully, but persistently, she tried again. "Eli and Rebekah could never be a burden for my family. It wouldn't be for that long, so I'm sure they can return soon enough to help finish the planting. Please do think about it."

Ethan Longacre was taking a long time. He didn't look like he was struggling with his decision. It was obvious that he was going to say no. He was just trying to think of a way to break the news to Jenna without hurting her feelings.

Sarah looked across the table at Eli and Rebekah. Rebekah's eyes were shining, and she leaned forward in her chair, trying to catch her father's eye, begging him to say yes. Eli looked perplexed, as if he didn't know what to think about this whole thing.

At last, Rebekah couldn't take the suspense any longer. Quietly, tentatively, she appealed to her father. "Pa…could you…would you think about it, please? I think Jenna is right. Going to her hometown could be a good experience for Elijah and me. We might learn something—"

"Silence, child!" It was not Ethan who spoke, but his father, Jacob Longacre. His blue eyes flashed, and thunderclouds settled around his brow. "The _Englischer _world is not a place for you or your brother, and you know that."

"Yes, Opa," Rebekah lowered her head meekly, but Sarah could see disappointment etched into her face.

"Father." It was Ethan who spoke. "We should not be so hasty. Perhaps Jenna is right. The children ought to have a chance to see the rest of the world besides this sheltered version we have given them."

Sarah stared at him, surprised. Was it just her, or did she have the feeling that Ethan's sudden change of heart had more to do with defiance of his father than a realization that Jenna was—maybe—right? She'd always thought that the Amish had perfect, harmonized families who loved, supported, and almost always agreed with each other. _They sometimes have family problems, too_, Sarah realized, feeling ashamed for having stereotyped them so quickly.

"Ethan Longacre!" Jacob half-rose from his chair in anger.

"Yes, Pa?" Ethan gazed back unwaveringly at his father.

"Please, Jacob, Ethan. Can we save this for another time?" Tillie begged her husband and son quietly, not wanting her guests to be subjected to these family problems.

With a glance at his wife, Jacob Longacre reluctantly seated himself back in the chair. Ignoring Ethan, he turned to Rebekah and Eli. "The English are not like the Amish. They have different ways, different ideas. Many of these ways and ideas can be poisonous to Amish youth. 'You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses it's taste, how will it be made salty again?' A good Amish teenager would never willingly go into English territory." He then turned to look at Jenna. "And a respectful English girl would not ask of her Amish friends something she knows they cannot do. Please do not mention this subject again."

Jenna nodded and lowered her head, but Sarah noticed that her cheeks were flushed, and longed to comfort her friend.

The rest of the meal passed without further incident, although an air of tension hung about every occupant in the room. Sarah was glad when dinner was over and they were able to leave. As they stood by the door getting their coats, Martha, Tillie, and Levi came to see them off. The Longacres did not mention the incident at dinner out of courtesy, but Levi had no such scruples.

"You shouldn't have said that to my grandfather. He hates the English more than I do. You know today in the living room? He only shushed me because he had to. Inside, he agreed with every word I said."

"Levi! That's enough!" Martha scolded. "How can you say such a thing? Apologize at once!"

"Sorry." Levi muttered. But when his aunt wasn't looking, he flashed Jenna a malicious grin.

"I am so sorry about my nephew. He doesn't know what he's saying." Martha apologized.

"And I am sorry about my husband's behavior at dinner. He has not been having a good day today. Please forgive us." Tillie added.

"There's no need to apologize," Mrs. Merkle assured them. "I understand completely."

"Thank you for coming, anyway. And for being so patient. I wish we could've had a better evening, but it was good of you to come. I'm glad to see that you're all well." Tillie Longacre said, and Mrs. Merkle gave her a small hug.

"We'd better get going, now. Thank you again, and goodnight."

"Goodnight!" The Longacre women waved as Mrs. Merkle, Jenna, and Sarah made their way to the car. They were still standing there, silhouettes illuminated by the lamplights from within the house, as the car roared to life and rolled off into the darkness.

:---------------:---------------:---------------:


	16. Aftermath

"Matthew 5:13." Sarah said. She and Jenna were taking a stroll around the town, the next afternoon. The day was sunny and the sky was clear. Above, a few birds flew by, casting their enlarged shadows over the two girls as they walked.

"What?" Jenna asked her friend, bewildered.

"Matthew 5:13" Sarah repeated. "'You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, how will it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.'"

Jenna groaned. "Are you referring to what Mr. Longacre said yesterday night? That was so embarrassing!"

Sarah gave her friend a compassionate glance. "Isn't it strange how things can be so ambiguous and confusing sometimes? The problem with many 'modern' people is that they think they have to throw away_ all_ the 'old ways'—some of which ought not to be thrown away. But on the other hand, the problem with many 'old-fashioned' people is they try too hard to hold onto things they consider 'traditional,' which might not be all that good for them or for others around them. It's kind of sad—is there no middle ground?"

"Sarah, stop going all philosophical on me, will you?" Jenna asked, rolling her eyes and hooking her arm through her friend's. "Let's just enjoy our walk."

"Okay."

They continued their walk in silence, but as they were about to cross a street, Jenna suddenly froze and yanked Sarah back on the curb.

"What is it?" Sarah asked, surprised.

Jenna pointed across the street. "Look. It's Eli and Rebekah." Sure enough, the siblings were walking together on the other side of the road, seeming to be in close conversation.

"So?" Sarah shrugged. "Want to go say hi?"  
"No! I mean, not right now—not after last night."

Sarah gave her friend a strange look. "They're not going to hold it against you, Jen."

"I know that, but…" Jenna bit her lip, obviously discomfited.

"Oh, alright. Let's go back home." Sarah gestured behind her, and Jenna nodded, relieved. They turned to head back the way they'd come, but it was too late. Across the street, Rebekah noticed them and pointed them out to her brother.

"Sarah! Jenna! Aren't you even going to say hello?" She ran across the street as the light turned red, dragging Eli behind her.

"Oh, hi, Rebekah! I didn't see you…there." Jenna tried to give her friend a warm smile while lying through her teeth.

Sarah gave her a supportive look, and smiled at the two new arrivals. "Hi, Rebekah, Elijah."

"Hello," Eli nodded at both of them.

"I know," Rebekah said suddenly. "This is about Opa, isn't it? We're so sorry he was mean to you last night!"

"It's not your fault," Jenna said with a pained smile.

"I know, but I still feel bad that our guests were treated so rudely. Opa usually isn't like that, but…" She trailed off and looked up to her brother for help.

"Please forgive us. Our grandfather, he…doesn't like us to mingle too much with foreigners."

"We understand. There's no need for you to ask forgiveness." Sarah could tell Jenna didn't feel like responding—her pride was still a bit wounded—so she took the liberty of answering for her friend.

"Oh, good. You don't hate us, then?" Rebekah asked anxiously.

Jenna started. "Of course not! Why would I hate you? You never did anything!" The other three smiled at her indignation.

"Then…may we walk you home?" Rebekah asked. "I'd like to see Mrs. Merkle before I go home. What about you, Eli?"

"I'm always happy to pay a visit to our neighbors," her brother answered demurely.

:-----------------:----------------:----------------:

The four of them walked in a comfortable silence for a while. Jenna stared at her shoes, seeming to be lost in thought. At last, she turned to Rebekah and Eli. "One thing I don't understand: why does your grandfather hate us non-Amish people so much, anyway? Did some _Englischers _do something to him before, or is that just the way he is?"

Eli winced. "Our grandfather does not truly _hate _the _Englischers_. But he has had some…bad history with a few of them before, yes."

Rebekah elaborated. "We had an aunt who was run over by an English car when she was only a child. She died."

"And, our father—" Eli bit his lip. "I—I do not know if I ought to be telling you all this…it is somewhat personal…"

"It's okay," Sarah said quickly. "You don't have to tell us anything."

But Rebekah nudged her brother. "I think you should go on. They deserve a better explanation."

"Yes, you are right." Eli agreed and took a deep breath. "Before he was married, our father was in love with another girl—an English one. Opa did not like the relationship much."

"That's so sad!" Jenna exclaimed. "Did your grandfather force your father to break up with this girl?"

Eli shook his head. "In the end, Pa decided that he loved his home and his family more than this English girl, so he became baptized and stayed with the community. It was his own choice."

Rebekah nodded in agreement. "Yes, so you understand—Opa doesn't like us to become too close to the _Englischers. _He doesn't want to lose us."

For a while, no one said anything. Then Rebekah sighed. "But there is another—a greater reason why Opa doesn't want us to have close English friends. His oldest son was very intelligent. Usually, Amish children are only educated up until the eighth grade. But his son continued his education. And when he became an adult, he left home instead of taking over the family farm. Our uncle's desertion affected Opa terribly. He felt like the English and their world had stolen his eldest son."

"What happened? Did your uncle ever come back?" Jenna asked.

Rebekah shook her head. "Pa says he found his brother once, when he was our age. The English girl helped him. But Eli wouldn't come back."

Sarah's ears perked up. "Eli?"

Rebekah nodded. "Elijah," she gestured at her brother, "was named after him. Almost all of us are named after a relative or other. I was named after my aunt who died when she was six. Tillie and Matthew were named after two of our grandparents. Only Gabriella was not named after someone—at least, not someone I know."

Sarah shook her head. "That's not what I meant. This Elijah—your uncle—do you know where he is right now? Does he have a family?"

"We don't know that much, only that our uncle moved away and married a Mennonite woman…at least, that's what Pa said when they last saw each other. Why do you ask?" Rebekah said curiously.

"It's just, I don't know…I have this feeling…" Sarah paused. "Wait. Did you say Mennonite?"

"Yes…?"

"Oh…Lord…" Excitedly, Sarah turned to Jenna. "Do you remember Elias Long? And Tim, and Jason, and Beth? Uncle Elias helped Mom get her first job as a teacher! And he was Dad's friend, too!"

Jenna's eyes widened. "No way! You're kidding!"

"I'm not!"

"You can't be serious!"

"I'm perfectly serious!"

"What…is it?" Rebekah asked, confused.

Sarah realized she was still standing there, and turned to face her and her brother. "This uncle of yours…he graduated from college, changed his name to Elias Long and became a schoolteacher, married a Mennonite woman named Camille and had three children—Tim, Jason, and Beth, correct?"

Rebekah wrinkled her forehead. "That can't be right. Pa said there were only two children—both boys."

But Eli was standing very still, staring at them. "Yes," he said slowly, "but perhaps when Pa visited him last, there were only two children. They could have had another one—Pa hasn't gone back in years."

He then turned to Sarah. "The two eldest—are they both boys?"

"Yes. Beth is the youngest."

"I see." He resumed walking, not talking for the rest of the way.

His sister, however, was just the opposite. "Are you saying…you know my uncle? How long? I almost cannot believe this—this is incredible! Do you think you can persuade him to come back and visit us? It would do Opa so much good!"

"I don't think I can do anything to bring your uncle back—he'd probably feel like I was meddling. After all, I am not one of your family."

"You're right," Rebekah conceded sadly. "It would never work."

She didn't speak for a while, head lowered, deep in thought. Then, she burst out, "Oh, if only Opa would let us visit you! Then I could meet my uncle for myself! And if we could bring him back to see Opa—maybe he wouldn't dislike the English so much anymore."

"I'm sorry, Rebekah," Sarah said, laying a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. "I wish I could do something. But even if we were to bring your uncle back, I don't know if that would help."

"I know." Rebekah gave Sarah a wan smile. "I am just dreaming."

"It's okay to dream. Dreams are like prayers. Perhaps one day God will say yes."

At this point, they had reached the front door of Jenna's grandmother's house.

"Thank you, Sarah." Rebekah said. "And you too, Jenna, for forgiving our grandfather's bad temper."

"It's nothing," Sarah smiled.

"'Bye! Walk safely!" Jenna added, as the siblings turned to leave.

"Goodbye!" Rebekah called back. Elijah smiled and waved. Sarah and Jenna watched as the two turned a corner and disappeared before finally turning and entering the house.

8


	17. A Change of Mind

Ethan and Elijah stood side-by-side in the barn, pitching hay into the horses' feeding bins. Ethan stole a glance at his son as they worked alongside each other. From the outside, Elijah Longacre looked perfectly calm and entirely devoted to his task. But Ethan, being the experienced father he was, knew when his son's mind was elsewhere.

"Son?"

"Yes, Pa?" Eli looked up at his father with a puzzled look.

"You looked like you were a million miles a way. Tell me, what is it you're thinking of?"

Eli squirmed. "Um…nothing of importance, Pa."

"Well, if it's nothing of importance, why have you put the hay into the water trough?"

Elijah looked down. To his dismay, he'd drenched a forkful of hay in water. "Oops."

"I'll say." Ethan chuckled at the expression on his son's face. Then he grew serious. "If there's something you'd like to tell me, Eli, I'd like to hear it."

Eli dipped his head in embarrassment. "Yes, Pa. I was just thinking…of the day before Jenna and her friend Sarah left."

Ethan raised one eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Apparently, Sarah knew someone…back at home…someone we know, too. Or at least you do. And Opa, and Oma, and Ma, I think, and…"

"Oh, do stop beating around the bush, Eli. Who is it?"

Elijah looked his father in the eye. "My uncle."

"Which…uncle?" Ethan was thoroughly confused, now.

"My uncle Elijah. The one I was named after. The one who disappeared before I was born, when you were still a child."

Ethan drew in a sharp breath. "Ah, yes…and what did Sarah say about your uncle?"

Eli shrugged. "Only that he had three children now, and that he was a close family friend—Apparently he knew her father, and was the one who got her mother a teaching job."

"Teaching?" Ethan asked, surprised. Then he murmured something to himself under his breath.

"Yes, teaching. Are you alright, Pa? You look a bit strange."

"No, no, I'm fine. I'm only surprised, that's all, that your uncle should turn up again, after so many years…"

"Rebekah and I were surprised, too, when we heard it."

"Ah, yes. I suppose that would explain why she sulked for a week after your friends left and kept begging your mother and I to change our minds and let you go visit."

Eli smiled. "I suppose so."

Ethan drew in a breath and threw the last of the hay into the feeding bin. "Well, it certainly is interesting that Sarah's family still stays in contact with Elijah, but I suppose it's not very surprising, considering..."

"Considering what, Pa?"

Ethan froze. "Oh, erm, I didn't…I mean, I—" He was interrupted, much to his relief, by the shrill clanging of a bell. "There's your mother. Go wash up, Eli. It's time for lunch."

Elijah didn't press the matter further, but he shot his father one last strange look before heading off to do as he was bid.

Eli leaned on his pitchfork as he watched his son head off toward the hand pump. "A teacher," he said to himself. "So that's what she's become."

:-------------:---------------:------------------:

The Longacres were seated in the dining room as Martha brought in the soups and salads, and began placing them neatly in the center of the table.

"That looks delicious, Martha," Tillie Longacre said, smiling up at her daughter-in-law. Martha gave her a brief, distracted smile in return. "Has anyone seen Rebekah?" She asked. "She was supposed to go to the grocery store and the post office for me, but she hasn't come back yet."

The others looked at each other, then shrugged as if of one accord. "No, Ma," Eli replied. "I don't think any of us have seen Rebekah."

Martha fingered her apron nervously. "I wonder where she could be…?"

Just then, the front door flew open with a bang, and Rebekah rushed in, her eyes large and bright. "Sorry I'm late, Ma, but guess what? A letter came for me in the mail! It's from Jenna!"

"That's nice, dear. But what in the world took you so long? Oh, never mind. Hurry up and come have a seat." Now that Rebekah was safe and sound, Martha went from worried to annoyed, although she was a touch relieved, as well. Obligingly, Rebekah went to take her seat beside her brother.

"But don't you want to hear what Jenna had to say?" Rebekah demanded, as soon as she was seated."

"Later, child," said Jacob Longacre, as he shot his granddaughter a disapproving frown. "First, we shall say grace and start the meal."

"Oh. Yes, of course." Rebekah bowed her head meekly and waited until grace was over and Martha had begun serving the food before starting up again.

"So, anyway, Ma, do you know what Jenna said?"

"No, dear. What did she say?"

"She said that her school is having a visitors' week, and she wants me and Eli to go."

Everyone froze.

"Rebekah," said her mother, exasperated, "you know what we said the last time you brought up the subject."

"Last time, you said we couldn't go because Jenna didn't specifically _invite_ us. Well, here's a written invitation. What's more specific than that? She even says her parents want us to come, too. She says I can share her room, and Eli can share her brother's—"

"_No,_ Rebekah."

"But, Ma—"

Jacob spoke up sharply. "Rebekah! I am surprised that you would contradict your mother after she specifically told you _no_!"

Rebekah bowed her head in defeat. "Sorry Ma, sorry Opa." And with a resigned sigh, she returned to her food.

Jacob and Martha also resumed eating. But Rebekah was unsatisfied._ I never get to go anywhere,_ she thought to herself. _It's not fair! Sure, I want to go to see my friends again, but I also want to go for Opa's sake—why does he have to be so grouchy?_

Perhaps Eli felt his sister's unhappiness, for he reached for her hand and patted it gently. "It's ok, Rebekah," he whispered quietly. "Jenna will come back next year. Maybe."

"But this isn't about waiting until next year!" Rebekah burst out before she could stop herself. "I—" Then she caught the stern look her grandfather shot her, and fell silent again.

For a moment, no one spoke. The air in the room hung heavy with tension and dissatisfaction. At last, Ethan set his fork down and let out a deep breath. "I think we should let her go."

"What?!" Rebekah stared at her father with wide eyes. For the second time, everyone froze, and all eyes turned to Ethan.

"I think you ought to go. And Eli, too, of course."

"Ethan!" Jacob said sharply. "What are you talking about? You know what those _Englischers _are like!"

"I know what _you_ think those_ Englischers_ are like. I respect you and your opinions, Pa, but with all due respect, you are wrong."

Eli stared at his father and grandfather. "Pa," he pleaded, "if this is has something to do with what we were talking about in the barn, please don't argue with Opa over it. Rebekah understands why you don't want us to go."

"No," Ethan said, not looking at Eli, but staring at Jacob, instead. "I want you to go. I want you to experience the real world, not the corner of it we have here. I want you to learn, and grow, and make your own decisions. I want this for you and your sister."

"_They're too young!"_ Jacob said through gritted teeth.

Ethan shook his head. "No, Pa. They are not too young. Eli is seventeen, and Rebekah is sixteen. Pretty soon, they have to make a decision—whether to get baptized into our church or not. I don't want them to choose before they know exactly what they're in for."

"Ethan," Martha said, touching her husband's shoulder. "Please, can we discuss this later? Let's just eat this meal in peace, and then you can speak with your father in private later."

"No," Jacob spoke up. "Let's get this clear once and for all: Eli and Rebekah are going to stay _here_. When it comes time for them to make their decision, they will choose wisely and well, and that is that."

"Are you afraid they won't come back, Pa?" Ethan asked quietly. "Like Eli?" The Eli seated at the table knew his father wasn't referring to him, but to his uncle, gone for so many long years.

"Do you think," Ethan continued, "that they will leave and never return?"

Jacob said nothing.

"Remember me, Pa? I went, too. In a way, I had more to give up than Eli did when I came home, but I did return."

"Ethan…" Jacob said, and a note of warning crept into the word.

"Ethan…" Martha said, and everyone could hear the touch of pain in her voice.

Ethan ignored both his father and his wife, and continued: "Eli and Rebekah will return, too, if that is the right decision for them. I just don't want them to make such an enormous decision without seeing both worlds fully and completely, at least once. It's best for them."

Jacob swallowed hard. "You are mistaken, son," he said in a dangerously quiet voice. "It is not best for them."

"Is it not?" Eli watched, terrified, as his father's face paled in anger. "You thought it wasn't best for my brother, either, when he wanted to pursue his education. You tried to hold him back—instead of understanding and encouraging your eldest son, you drove him away!"

"Ethan!" Jacob's voice was sharp as he half rose out of his chair. "Watch your tongue!"

But Ethan was beyond recklessness now. "If you hadn't tried so hard to crush his dreams, do you think he would have cut connections with us completely? All these years, you've acted as if Eli had wronged you somehow, as if you were completely right, and he was completely wrong. You acted as if _he _abandoned us, when the truth was, all the time, it was _your _pride that drove him away! Your rules and your stiff, unbending pride cost me my eldest brother! And now you want to drive my _children_ away as well?!"

Ethan finished his tirade, breathing hard.

"Ethan!" Martha gasped in horror. But it was too late. Jacob Longacre's fist crashed onto the table, and he left the room, slamming the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, silence fell over the room once again.

The silence was broken by a loud sniff. Ethan looked up to see that Gabriella, who had sat through the whole argument, was crying. Even Rebekah had tears in her eyes. And Matthew looked terrified.

"Don't cry, Gabby," Ethan tried to comfort her. He sagged slightly in his chair and put his hand to his forehead. "That argument has been building for almost two decades, now—I only wish it didn't have to happen in front of all of you." He looked around the table at the faces of his family members.

"Papa," Rebekah said, as a big fat tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm so sorry. I promise I'll never mention visiting Jenna again. I was wrong to have—"

Ethan looked up. "No, Rebekah," he said, shaking his head. "I still think you and Eli ought to go. Especially after that…incident." He chuckled, but the sound was sad, rather than happy. "It would be best if you left for a while. There's no need for you to stay and be burdened with my and your grandfather's problems."

He stood, and started to head toward the front door.

"Ethan," Martha spoke up timidly. He stopped and turned. "Where are you going?"

Ethan gave her a small, brief smile. "I'm just going to head out to clear my head a bit. And gather my courage…I owe Pa an apology later, as soon as he's calmed down a bit." And with that, he opened the door and headed out into the cold, dark night.

10


	18. Good News

Sarah was at her locker again, fiddling with the ornery scrap of metal. It was a good thing her school allowed five whole minutes between periods—otherwise she'd never get her books out in time. As she struggled with the dial, she saw a tall lanky form with a mop of dirty brown hair come her way.

It was Jake Millar again.

Sarah felt like giving up and pounding her head against the metal lockers. _Dear God, why me?_ She glanced quickly out of the corner of her eye to assess her situation. The locker room was full of students, but that wasn't likely to bother Jake. If anything, it would only serve to make Sarah's mortification more complete. There was only one door nearby, to her left, and it was blocked by a group of kids, chatting happily. Behind her, the teacher's workroom was locked, and so were the surrounding classrooms. There was no escape.

Sarah gritted her teeth as she sensed Jake sidle up beside her.

"Hey Sarah," he said casually.  
Sarah tried not to let out a groan of frustration as she unlocked the locker and retrieved her books.

"Hey, Jake. Don't you have Mr. O'Connor next? Better not be late—you know how chemistry teachers are." She slammed the door shut and turned to face him, clutching her textbooks tightly.

Jake looked impressed. "Hey, how'd you know I have chemistry next? Do you know my entire schedule?"

Sarah resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _No, you dunce bucket. _You're _the one who's stalking _me. "Of course not. I just happen to know you have Chemistry next because _I _happen to have AP Physics next, and our classrooms are right next door to each other."

"That's right! I forgot about that…it's too bad you're in physics already. If you were in Mr. O'Connor's class, we could do some chemistry experiments together." Jake said the last word a bit suggestively—too much so for Sarah's taste. He hadn't actually _done _anything, besides following her around and occasionally trying to talk to her at the lockers, but Sarah was beginning to feel like she was being stalked. It wasn't as if she was _trying _to encourage Jake Millar, but that seemed to be how he took her refusal to have anything to do with him. It was really beginning to get quite tiresome.

"Yeah, well…I already took chem. last year. There aren't a whole lot of group experiments." Sarah glanced to her left. Still blocked.

"Hey, I have an idea—you passed chem., didn't you?" Jake's eyes lit up excitedly. "I'm not doing so well in it myself, and I was thinking of getting a peer tutor…if you're interested." He leaned slightly forward as Sarah took a step back. Jake smiled. Sarah couldn't refuse—she loved teaching, and had tutored multiple kids before. She couldn't possibly object to this request.

"I was thinking," Jake continued, "I could pay you, too—maybe buy you lunch sometimes, or something like that. So? How 'bout it?"

Sarah tried not to look too distressed—what to do, what to do…? Fortunately, the decision was made for her.

"_Sarah!_" A high-pitched feminine voice carried above the heads of everyone in the locker room. Moments later, an ecstatic Jenna appeared at Sarah's side and threw her arms around her.

"Hi, Jen. What's going on?" Sarah asked, confused.

"They're coming! They're coming! Can you believe it? I wrote a letter, and I wasn't expecting them to say 'yes' or anything—you know what happened last time, after all—but I was wrong! They said yes! They're coming! Yeeeeesss!!!!" Jenna pumped one fist into the air triumphantly and hugged Sarah again.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, Jen. What's going on? Who's coming?"

Jenna beamed at her friend, and took a folded piece of paper out of her pocket. "_Them_. You know, Rebek—" Jenna froze. Sarah looked at her friend, puzzled, then turned to see what she was staring at. Jake was still there, standing behind her, completely bewildered.

"Let's go outside, it's stuffy in here." Jenna grabbed Sarah's arms and practically yanked her through the crowd congregated at the doorway, still chatting obliviously to one another.

"Umm…see ya—we'll talk about the tutoring thing later, ok?" Jake called as Jenna whisked Sarah out the door. _Thank God for Jenna, _Sarah thought, as she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yeah? So, who's coming? Were you about to say 'Rebekah?'" Sarah asked Jenna as soon as they were both outside.

"Yes!" Jenna exclaimed, jumping up and down. "Rebekah _and _Eli! Rebekah's going to stay with me, and Eli's going to share a room with my brother. Isn't this _exciting_?!"

Sarah was more curious about other things "Who's bringing them here?" She knew the Amish weren't into cars, and couldn't imagine Rebekah and Eli's dad—much less, their grandfather—bringing them there. Of course, they _might _be able to use a taxi, perhaps, or a bus, but—

"Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention. Levi's going to be driving them. He has some friends to stay with, here, so we don't need to set up an extra room for him, thank goodness. No offense, but Rebekah's cousin's a bit of a _grouch_."

Sarah barely heard her friend as Jenna continued to chatter on. Levi was coming here? She remembered the first time she met him. Even though he'd acted so confident and sure of himself, she sensed unhappiness in those piercing green eyes.

And Rebekah—it would be so nice to see the bubbly young Amish girl again. She was so much like Jenna—but she was a little like Sarah, as well, too. Outgoing but still somewhat old-fashioned.

Then, there was Eli. Sarah wondered why he was coming. Of the three teens, Eli seemed the most traditional. She knew he wouldn't have chosen to come on his own. Perhaps he was just doing what he mentioned that day at the party—looking after his younger sister, making sure Rebekah would stay safe.

"Why do you think they changed their mind?" Sarah asked suddenly, accidentally interrupting Jenna in one of her long torrents of dialogue.

Jenna shrugged. "I don't know. But who cares? They're coming! This is going to be so _awesome!_"

Sarah let her chatter on, wrapped in her own thoughts, which were suddenly interrupted by the shrill piercing sound of the first bell.

"Oh, shoot. Gotta go, Jenna. I can't be late for physics! Let's talk later, 'k?"

"You can't be late for _anything, _Sarah, not just physics. That's just the way you are." Jenna pretended to pout, but she was too happy to pull it off for long. "OK. See you at the usual place after this period!"

Sarah nodded. "Sure." Then she ran off to class.


	19. Part III: New World

Sarah arrived at the "usual place," a big oak tree on the edge of school property, and found Jenna already waiting for her.

"Hey, slowpoke! What took you so long?"

Sarah plopped down on the grass beside Jenna. "Sorry. I had to ask Mr. Phillips a question about the assignment."

Jenna snorted. "You had to ask _him_ a question? Yeah, right. More like _he _had to ask _you _a question, you smarty pants."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Jenna!" she protested with a laugh.

"Speaking of smarty pants, was that Jake I heard asking you about some tutoring thing?"

Sarah stopped laughing. "Yeah. He wants me to tutor him in chemistry." She reached into her backpack and withdrew a paper sack.

Jenna gave a little shriek of surprise. "Really? And you said yes, of course, right?"

"Wrong," Sarah replied, as she took a metal food container out of the sack.

"Why?" Jenna asked.

Sarah, who was about to open the lid of the container, stopped and gave Jenna an obvious you-know-why look. "You know why." She said.

"What? You think he's a stalker? C'mon, Sarah—Jake's not that bad. I actually think it's rather sweet of him to try to be so nice to you. You can tell he's totally devoted, following you around like that. Sure, it can get a little creepy, but it's still sweet."

Sarah said nothing, only opened the container and fished a fork out of her sack to eat her ravioli with.

Jenna sighed dramatically. "You're hopeless, you know that, Sarah? Hopelessly hardheaded."

Sarah smiled. "Thank you."

They ate in silence for a minute, then Jenna broke it with a question. "So…Levi's supposed to be dropping Rebekah and Eli off at my house after school today. Want to come over?"

Sarah swallowed her ravioli. "Sure—I'll have to go home and check with my mom first, but I'm sure it will be okay with her. I'll come over later."

Jenna rolled her eyes. "Sarah, you're such a goody two shoes. You're old enough to _drive_, for heaven's sake. Most people your age don't have to go home and tell their mothers where they're going all the time."  
Sarah smiled fondly at her friend, knowing that Jenna wasn't trying to mean when she teased. "Well, I don't want my mom to worry about me. So I always make sure to tell her where I'm going. But don't worry—" here, she paused to pat Jenna's arm reassuringly. "I'll be there."

Jen started to say something else, but suddenly, Sarah hushed her.

"What? What is it?"

Sarah gestured to a spot, several yards away from them, where a group of teenagers were rounding the corner. They were talking and laughing loudly—almost obnoxiously, and in the midst of them, surrounded on all sides by adoring girls and lanky guys, was Jake Millar—speaking loudest of all.

"I think I'm going to…go now," Sarah said, eyeing the group.

"What?—why?" Jenna didn't have time to respond as Sarah snatched up her lunch bag and backpack. "Where are you going?"  
"To the library." Sarah slung the book bag over one shoulder and took off, without looking back.

"Hey! Sarah!" Jake had spotted her, and called out across the field, but it was too late—in one quick movement, Sarah whipped the door of the library open and disappeared within the beige-colored building.

:--------------:--------------:------------:

True to her word, Sarah arrived at Jenna's house after school, only a few moments before the Longacres arrived. The girls were sitting in the living room, playing a quick game of Scrabble, when a car was heard pulling up to the driveway.

"Oh, I'll bet that's them! C'mon, Sarah!" Jenna leapt to her feet, seized her startled friend by the arm, and rushed out the door, just as three Amish teens were stepping out of the car.

"Rebekah! Elijah! It's wonderful to see you again…and you too, Levi," Jenna added.

"We thank you for inviting us," Eli stated seriously.

His sister, perhaps affected by the novel sensation of not having strict parents watching her every move, dispensed with formalities and hugged Jenna, then Sarah. "Yes—thank you so, so much. I was afraid Pa and Opa—Opa especially—wouldn't let us go, but you would never believe what happened! Pa told Opa—" Eli cleared his throat warningly, and Rebekah stopped mid-sentence. "Well. Anyway, thank you for inviting us!"

Sarah grinned at the red-headed girl's exuberance, and her brother's awkward politeness, but she couldn't help noticing that their green-eyed cousin had said nothing as of yet—only stood sullenly in the corner.

"You're welcome—thanks for agreeing to come," Jenna was saying. "Come inside—Mom made lots of desserts for you. Levi, why don't you come too?" She added the last sentence almost as an afterthought.

"No thanks." Came the curt reply. Levi shut himself in the car and zoomed off without another word.

The other four were left standing on the driveway, unsure of what to do. Eli cringed. "Please excuse my cousin's impertinence, he—"

Jenna waved it off with a laugh. "It's okay—I know all about Levi. To tell the truth, it's kind of awkward being around him. Don't worry about it. Let's go inside to eat and rest up, and then Sarah and I'll take you out sightseeing. We've got so much to show you!"

:-----------:------------:-------------:


	20. Rivalries

Author's Note:

Before I begin this next installment, I have a little something I need to write. I usually don't like to leave author comments on the actual story itself, because I believe it disrupts the reading flow, but this time I really have to type out an apology to all my readers out there.

I know it's been months and months since my latest update, and I could give you a hundred and one reasons for my failure to update, but I know they would just be unsatisfactory excuses. So I want to apologize sincerely and beg everyone's forgiveness for my procrastination. I can't promise to update weekly, like a good little writer should, but I can promise this: I'll never leave you guys hanging for so long ever again. And I'll try to be more consistent with my updates. I'll try my best to shoot for weekly or two-week installments, at the latest. We'll see how it goes :)

I'd like to thank from the bottom of my heart everyone who has ever read and commented/favorited this story, and everyone who has decided to stick with this story despite my irresponsibility. I really couldn't do it without you guys! So, I hope you can forgive me in time, and I hope you'll enjoy this update, as well as the rest of the story…we are nearing the last leg of our journey!

See you guys around,

Spreadlight

:--:--:--:

"…and this is the humanities building. My locker is over here, and so is Sarah's. So if you guys ever need to store anything at school, just let one of us know. Better yet, here's my locker combo. Use it whenever you want. Just don't let anyone else know the combination, 'k?" Jenna scribbled something on a pad of paper and stuffed it into Rebekah's hand with a wink.

It was the day after the Longacres' arrival, and Jenna and Sarah were showing their new guests around the school. Only Elijah and Rebekah were there, that is. No one knew where Levi had disappeared off to.

_Brriiing!_

"Oh, that's the bell. Time for literature! I can't wait to introduce you guys." Grabbing Sarah with one hand and Rebekah with the other, Jenna half-pulled, half-dragged her friends toward the classroom in her excitement, leaving Eli to follow at a more leisurely pace.

Eli chuckled at Jenna's enthusiasm. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea, coming here for a short vacation. He hadn't really noticed it much, but now it was apparent that the tension at home between Pa and Opa had put a damper on his sister's naturally ebullient spirits. He was glad that Jenna's influence was helping Rebekah become more cheerful again.

"Hey, watch it, punk!" A shrill girlish voice rang out. Eli looked up in surprise to see Sarah on the ground amidst scattered pink folders, and a tall blond girl in pink spaghetti straps and heavy makeup standing over her. It was the girl who had spoken. Or shouted, rather.

"I'm so sorry. Here, let me help you get those—" Sarah scrambled to pick up the folders, but the girl snatched them out of her arms so violently that she nearly caused Sarah to fall over again.

"Just watch where you're going next time, okay? God! People these days!" She turned on her pink stiletto heels and marched quickly away, her curly blond ponytail swinging behind her. Eli ran to catch up.

"Are you alright?" he asked, extending a hand to help Sarah up.

She gave him a grateful smile as she accepted the proffered hand. Jenna was fuming.

"Just who does that Barbie wannabe think she is? _She's _the one who ran into Sarah, not the other way around!"

"Umm…Jenna? Who was that?" Rebekah asked timidly.

Jenna rolled her eyes. "That was Angelique Barber. She's one of those popular-girl types. Mean, nasty, totally useless. You alright, Sarah?" Jenna snarled darkly. "Just wait till I get my hands on that little monster…"

Sarah put a hand on her friend's arm. "Just ignore her, Jen—there's no need to start a fight or anything. I'm fine. Really."

Shaking her head, Jenna allowed Sarah to tug her and Rebekah gently toward the classroom door, still fuming. Elijah wandered a few steps behind, wondering at the scene he'd just witnessed. How could that girl be so rude? He was just about to follow his sister and her friends inside when he saw a flash of gold out of the corner of his eye. Curious, Eli turned just in time to see his cousin disappearing among a row of lockers. _Levi? What was he doing here? Wasn't he supposed to be at a friend's house? _A faint sense of unease settled on Eli's shoulders. But he shrugged it off and ran to join his friends.

They reached their seats just before the late bell rang. Jenna helped her guests find seats next to herself and Sarah—a bit of a difficulty, since so many other students had also brought guests from different parts of the world.

"Good afternoon, class. It's wonderful to see so many unfamiliar faces among the usual crowd. Today, we are going to spend most of our class period introducing our guests. Would anyone like to start first?"

Not surprisingly, Jenna's hand was the first to shoot into the air.

"Yes, Jenna?"

She got to her feet and pulled Sarah up with her. "Actually, Sarah and I are co-hosting two siblings from Nappannee, Indiana. This is Rebekah Longacre, and her brother Eli. They're Amish." With that, she sat back down.

Mrs. White smiled. "That's wonderful, Jenna. We were just studying Amish literature a few weeks ago. Perhaps your guests can help us with that." She smiled warmly at Rebekah and Eli, then turned to face the rest of the class. "Next?"

To Sarah's surprise, Mrs. White nodded at someone sitting in the back. "Jake."

Jenna's eyes widened as she caught Sarah's gaze. _Jake_? She mouthed silently. Sarah shrugged. She didn't know Jake was going to bring a guest either. He usually wasn't into the whole participate-in-Mrs.-White's-crazy-projects thing.

Sarah, Jenna and their two friends leaned back, trying to catch a glimpse of the kid sitting next to Jake Millar. It was difficult, however, as the boy kept his head down and was half-hidden by a stocky football player sitting in front of him.

Jake got to his feet in his usual half-lazy manner, and directed a grin in Sarah's direction. "Yes, Ma'am," he turned to Mrs. White. "Actually, it's interesting that Jenna and Sarah's guests are from Nappannee, because my guest also happens to be from there, also. I believe they know each other."

Mrs. White raised an eyebrow. "Indeed? Who is it, Jake?"

Jake waved at the boy beside him, and Eli watched in growing astonishment as a tall lanky teen with green eyes and blond hair stood up beside Jake Millar. _So, you're part of this project too, Levi?_

"Class, I'd like you all to meet my friend, Levi Dewberry. He's here to visit his dad, and I thought, 'well, since we're doing a guest invitational at school, I might as well bring him in and introduce him to everybody."

Beside Sarah, Jenna lay her head on the desk. "Ooh…" she moaned to herself. "Why Levi, of all people?" Sarah poked her in the side. "Ouch!"

"Jen," she whispered. "That's not polite!"

Jenna straightened up. "You're right. Sorry."

Jake and Levi had sat back down, and Mrs. White moved on to the next guests. But no one on the right side of the classroom paid any further attention to her.

:--:--:--:

"What is Levi doing here?" Rebekah asked, tugging on her brother's arm. The four of them were heading to the cafeteria; Jenna had her arm linked through Sarah's and the two Longacre siblings followed close behind them. The girls had decided to leave their usual place under the tree, just to let the Longacres get a feel for what a real high school cafeteria was like.

Eli frowned in response to his sister's question. "I don't know."

"Well, at least we know where he's staying now, I guess," Rebekah sighed. She turned to Sarah. "Do you know the boy that Levi's staying with?"

Jenna was busy trying not to snicker. "Oh, she knows him, alright. She knows him very, very well."

Sarah shot her friend a death-glare. "Jenna!"

Jenna assumed an innocent look. "What? I'm just answering Rebekah's question." She quickly released her friend's arm and hurried off to find a table just in case Sarah gave in to the temptation to do her friend bodily harm.

"Why was Jenna laughing when she said you knew that boy very well?" Rebekah asked, curious.

Sarah sighed. "Jenna's just being Jenna. Don't mind her. Jake's one of our more annoying classmates. I don't really know him that well at all—"

"Hey, Sarah!"

Sarah whirled around and tried to suppress a groan. "Speak of the devil," she muttered to herself.

"Hi!" Jake was panting slightly when he caught up to the trio, Levi sauntering casually behind him. "What a coincidence, meeting here in the cafeteria like this. Actually, today's a really _coincidental _day, isn't it? I mean, our guests are even from the exact same town!" He laughed, but no one laughed with him. Sarah assumed an embarrassed grin.

"Erm…yes. Very _coincidental_. Please excuse us, Jake, we have to find Jenna…"

"Hey, I'm Jake Millar. You're Eli, right?" Jake stuck his hand out and Eli shook it tentatively. Then Jake did the same to Rebekah. "Do you guys know Levi? He told me he knew you."

"We're cousins," Levi said in a bored tone of voice.

"_Really_? Now, _that's_ what I call a coincidence. Déjà vu, and all that. Huh? Isn't that right, Sarah?" He nudged her with his elbow, and she quickly stepped aside.

"Yo, Millar! We saved a seat for you!" Jake craned his neck to see a few of his buddies waving at him from across the cafeteria. Sarah breathed a private sigh of relief.

"In a minute, Carter!" Jake yelled back. Then he turned to Sarah. "Hey, don't forget the tutoring thing, alright? I know the perfect spot for our first session. My dad's friend owns this awesome Greek restaurant only a few miles from here. We can study there. We'll set a time later, 'k?"

Sarah's eyes widened in horror. "But I—"

Jake didn't stick around long enough for her to clear up any misconceptions. "Catch ya later!" He ran off, with Levi trailing behind him.

Sarah watched their retreating backs for a few moments, then sank into a nearby cafeteria chair, exhausted. "Oh, no."

Rebekah sat down next to her. "What's wrong? Why don't you want to tutor him?"

Sarah shook her head. "It's not that, it's just—"

"Yeah, Sarah. Why don't you want to tutor him?" Sarah looked up in surprise to see Jenna smiling down at her. Sometime during the exchange, she had snuck back to her friend's side without Sarah noticing her.

"Jenna! Don't scare me like that. I thought—"

"…that Jake Millar had returned to bug you some more?" Jenna sat down on the other side of Sarah.

"Precisely. Although I think 'harass' would be more appropriate a word than 'bug.'"

Jenna laughed. "Aw, c'mon, Sarah. He's not that bad. I think it's kinda sweet how he's always following you around. Just like an adorable little Jake puppy."

Sarah looked at her as if she'd grown three heads.

Jenna ignored the look. "Besides, you can't help but feel a little sorry about him if you think about what happened with his last girlfriend. It's no wonder he likes Sarah better."

"Did something bad happen to his last girlfriend?" Rebekah asked.

Sarah looked up, too. "Jake used to have a girlfriend?"

Jenna looked up and spotted Eli still standing. She pulled out a chair. "Here. Why don't you have a seat? It looks tiring, just standing there."

Gratefully, Elijah sat down, and Jenna turned her attention back to the other girls. "Yeah, didn't you know? Jake used to go out with this girl who gave a whole new meaning to the word 'over-protective.' Everywhere he went, she was there, too. Like, seriously. When he went to soccer practices, she watched from the stands. When he went out with friends, she'd invent the dumbest excuses to stalk him. When he went to the bathroom, she'd be hovering outside like a leech."

"What happened?" Rebekah asked, at the same time Sarah asked, "How do you know all this?"

Jenna waved a hand carelessly. "I don't know. I just heard about it on campus. You would, too, if you paid more attention to people and less to books." She gave Sarah a lopsided grin, then turned to Rebekah. "Well, last year, Jake was talking to this other girl…just talking, mind you. But you know how he is—he can't help but flirt with any halfway decent girl he meets. So, his girlfriend happened to see, and she attacked the other girl, and they got into this full-on catfight…when she was through, the other girl had to go to the hospital and get stitches for her face. Both of them were suspended for a week. I heard they nearly got expelled. Oh, and of course Jake decided to dump his girlfriend after that. He thought she was mentally unstable or something. Which she probably was."

Sarah was frowning. "Jenna, it's not good to gossip. Besides, I'm sure the story's exaggerated, if not completely false. I never heard of anyone getting sent to the hospital last year."

"It's true!" Jenna protested. "Ask anyone! It happened after school, but the news was all over campus the next day. I think you were sick that day, or something, or you would have heard it too."

Sarah shook her head and turned to reach into her backpack for her lunchbox. "Whether it's true or not, we shouldn't be spreading rumors, Jen. We might accidentally hurt someone."

Rebekah didn't hear her. "Who was Jake's girlfriend?" she asked Jenna, leaning forward.

"_Ex_-girlfriend," Jenna corrected. But before she could answer Rebekah's question, they were interrupted by a high-pitched, angry female voice.

"You!"

Startled, Sarah looked up to find herself staring into Angelique Barber's livid face for the second time that day. Everyone at the table was stunned into silence.

"So you're Sarah Logan, are you?"

"Yes," Sarah replied cautiously. "Is something wrong…?"

"Are you kidding me?! I know what you're up to. Your kind is always like that. You think you're so goodie-goodie and perfect, but I know what's really in your dirty little mind." Angelique leaned forward as she spoke, her blue eyes flashing.

"What are you talking about?" Sarah wasn't sure whether to be frightened or offended. Angelique looked furious.

The blond girl jabbed a finger in Sarah's face and snarled. "Don't try to pretend you don't know what I'm talking about, punk. You just lay off my boyfriend, understand?" And as suddenly as she had appeared, Angelique Barber marched off, without a backward glance.

Sarah pointed a shaky finger at Angelique's retreating back. "Wasn't that…?"

Jenna swallowed. "That was Jake Millar's ex-girlfriend."

:--:--:--:

10


	21. Angel of Mercy

"He's not home."

Jenna and Rebekah let out a sigh of disappointment. Eli sat beside them stoically, his expression unreadable. All three of them were seated around Jenna's kitchen table, watching Sarah try to reach the Longs by telephone.

Setting the phone back in its cradle, Sarah walked over to her friends. "I'm really sorry—Beth and her mom just came back from grocery shopping. She said her dad is away at some kind of out-of-state teacher's conference. He won't be back until the day after tomorrow."

Rebekah sighed again. They'd been trying to call Elias Long all afternoon, attempting to arrange an interview with him in order to convince him to make up with his estranged family back in Nappanee. Unfortunately, none of them had counted on his absence.

"I'd really hoped we could reach Uncle today," Rebekah looked downcast.

"I know," Sarah tried to reassure the other girl. "But we can call him when he gets back. He'll be home soon."

"Well, never mind," Jenna added cheerily. "Rebekah and Eli don't exactly have to leave _tomorro_w_, _right? So we'll just wait until he gets back, then we'll go see him. For now, let's go sight seeing!" She hopped off her chair with a bounce and turned to the others. "I want to show Eli and Rebekah all the cool places around here. We can start with shopping!"

"Um…actually, Jenna, I can't. I'm sorry." Sarah bit her lip.

Jenna stared at her friend in consternation. "Why not?"

"I have volunteering today."

Jenna groaned. "But Eli and Rebekah are here! Can't you skip it just this once, for me? Pleeeeaaaseee? Pretty-pretty please with a great big mammoth cherry on top?"

Sarah looked amused, but she shook her head firmly. "Sorry Jenna. I've been volunteering all my life. I can't just stop now." After a pause, she grinned. "And besides, I don't like cherries very much. Especially the fake kind they put on ice cream sundaes."

"Fine. Strawberries, then. Or blueberries. Whatever you want. But only come with us just this one time, please?" Jenna threw her arms around her friend and put on her best puppy face. Sarah laughed and gently but decidedly disentangled herself from Jenna.

"Sorry, Jen. I really have to go. They're expecting me at the hospital."

Jenna, finally acknowledging defeat, slumped in her chair with a drawn-out sigh. "But it won't be fun without you."

Sarah patted her consolingly on the shoulder. "I'm sure you'll manage, Jen. You always do."

Jenna pretended to frown, muttering darkly about dull depressing antiseptic hospital buildings.

"You volunteer at a hospital?"

The three girls turned to look at Eli, who had been silent up until now.

"Yes," Sarah replied.

"What do you do there?" Eli's deep blue eyes shone with interest.

"I perform with a small group of kids for the patients. It's kind of like music therapy."

"May I go?"

Sarah blinked, taken aback. Elijah looked a little shy and hesitant, as if he could hardly believe that he'd just made that request. Yet he seemed truly eager to go.

"Sure," Sarah answered, after a brief moment of silence. "We'd be glad to have you. Would you like to come, Jenna?"

Jenna made a face. "No, thank you. Hospitals scare me. They're all so white and shiny and…clean."

Sarah then turned to Rebekah. "How about you? Would you like to come?" Rebekah looked slightly disappointed. Rebekah had been looking forward to touring with Jenna, but she couldn't possibly refuse Sarah's invitation, that would be rude…

"Wait! I have the perfect idea!" Jenna exclaimed, glowing with excitement once again. "Me and Rebekah can go sight-seeing, while you and Eli can go play for the kids at the hospital. Awesome. Let's go!" With one mighty bound, Jenna raced to the door, whisking it open.

Sarah let out a surprised burst of laughter. "Whoa! Jen—don't you have to think things through a bit before you leave?"

"Things? What sort of things?"

"Well…letting your parents know where we're going, bringing a jacket in case it gets cold, making sure you have your wallet and cell phone. Those sort of things."

Jenna's hand fell from the doorknob. "Oh, yeah. Good thing you reminded me." Jenna closed the door to prevent the flies from getting in. Then with a sudden spurt of energy, she propelled herself up the stairs. "Mo-om! We're going out, okay?"

Downstairs, Sarah, Eli, and Rebekah chuckled to themselves. Jenna's impulsiveness was definitely one of her more interesting qualities. Sarah turned to Elijah. "Eli, are you sure you want to come to the hospital with me instead of going with Jenna and your sister?"

Eli nodded. "I think I will find this volunteering more interesting, personally. Rebekah, are you alright alone with Jenna?" He looked at his younger sister in concern.

"Don't worry, Eli, I'll be alright. This town looks safe." Rebekah assured him.

"Alright, Rebekah. But be sure to take care—"

Eli was interrupted by heavy footsteps on the stairs. Presently, Jenna appeared, trailed by her two younger brothers.

"I'm back. Mom said we could go, but I have to drop Junior and Squirt off at their friend's house on the way."

"Junior and Squirt?" Rebekah looked puzzled.

Jenna merely motioned behind her. "Alan and Freddy."

"_Don't _call me Freddy! It's Fred! _Fred_," protested the younger of the two boys.

"Whatever." Jenna waved a hand carelessly. "Well, c'mon, let's get going!" With a flourish, she whipped open the front door and gestured dramatically, like a stage butler. "Guests first!"

:--:--:--:

They parted ways at the driveway; Rebekah, Jenna, and Jenna's brothers turning toward the left, and Sarah and Eli heading right. On the latter's part, the walk to the hospital took only ten minutes, including shortcuts, and most of the walk was spent in silence, both teens too preoccupied with their own thoughts and the sights and sounds of the neighborhood than with conversation. Sarah did emerge once from her reverie once to note with an air of surprise that the silence was a comfortable, rather than awkward one. The thought didn't last long, however. Presently, she slid back into old memories worn and bittersweet, swinging her violin case absently from one hand, and dangling a bag full of music scores and stands from the other.

As they neared the large hospital, Eli stopped gaping at the outside world long enough to notice that his companion seemed to be troubled in spirit. Sarah clutched the fabric of her dress tightly, the knuckles of her hands turning white. Her eyes seemed larger and more luminous than usual, glimmering unnaturally bright with unshed tears.

"Do you come here every week?" Eli asked, seeking to draw Sarah's attention from whatever painful thought was occupying her mind.

She seemed to awake from a dream, shaking off the dark web of unhappiness like a duck shaking the water off its back. "Yes," she replied with a somewhat forced smile. "I used to come here every week with my…my…" She bit her lip.

"Your father?" Eli filled in softly.

Sarah nodded, unable to speak.

"He must have been an extraordinary person."

Sarah swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded vigorously. "Oh, he was. He loved to help everyone. He used to take me and a group of the teenagers at our church to the hospital every month or so to sing for the patients. Everybody loved him. I think it made it easier for him, knowing a lot of the nurses and doctors here, when he was…admitted." Sarah looked as if she were about to cry again.

"Here we are," Eli noted as they came up to the hospital's automatic doors. "Let me help you with that." Before Sarah could protest, Eli whisked the bag of music stands and scores off her shoulder and opened the door. Sarah had refused to allow him to help her carry the burden the whole walk to the hospital, and he was glad to finally be able to do something now.

"Oh. Umm…thanks." Sarah entered, with Eli following close behind.

:--:--:--:

"Good afternoon, Sarah," the receptionist smiled at Sarah. "Learned any new music?"

"Hi, Joanna. I have plenty. I was working on my repertoire all week."

"I'll say. Want to introduce me to your friend?" Joanna glanced at Eli's peculiar clothing.  
"Oh! This is Elijah Longacre. He and his sister are visiting from Nappanee."

"I see." Joanna smiled brightly at the two. "Well, thanks for visiting, Elijah Longacre from Nappanee. Do you play the violin too?"

"No, unfortunately. But I'd like to help in any way I can."

Joanna laughed. "Way to pick out a good helper, Sarah. Well, I won't detain you any longer. Your audience is waiting." She waved them off cheerfully before turning back to her computer.

Sarah and Eli made their way to the elevator and Sarah punched the right button. Presently, they arrived on the second floor and entered a small auditorium, where a small group of patients waiting eagerly in wheelchairs and regular chairs. At the opposite end of the room, a group of teenagers stood with instrument cases open on ground—flutes and violins, cellos and more. Upon Sarah and Eli's entrance, they rushed toward the door.

"Sarah!"

"You're here!"

"Hi!"

"Who's this?"

Sarah greeted her fellow musicians, before introducing them all to Eli and Eli to them all. After all the preliminaries, Sarah stepped to the front of the room.

"Okay, guys, ready to get this show on the road?"

The concert went along splendidly. Sarah and the kids from her church played several chamber works for the patients on their various musical instruments. Then they sang—some old hymns, some patriotic songs. Sarah even convinced Elijah to stand on stage and sing with the rest of the group, and was pleasantly surprised by his clear mellow tenor voice.

When they finished, and took their bows, the teens packed up their instruments and music and went to visit other patients who were too sick to be removed from their beds.

Elijah watched from the background as Sarah and her friends moved from floor to floor, and bed to bed—sometimes talking and laughing quietly, sometimes holding the patients' hands and praying in silence. Knowing what he did about Sarah's painful memories of her dad's illness, Eli doubly admired Sarah's courage to speak to the sick people—some of whom were dying of cancer themselves.

When they arrived at the oncology ward, Elijah noticed that Sarah had to stand outside for a few moments to compose herself. He watched as another girl came over and gave her a one-armed hug.

"You okay?" The girl asked quietly.

Sarah squared her shoulders and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Liz. It's just—it still gets me, sometimes. But I'm good now, let's go in."

In every room, Sarah and her friends seemed to bring a happy glow to the patients' faces. It was a small hospital—more like a nursing home than a hospital, actually, except that there were young people as well as old. Though many patients seemed to be in bad shape, every one that Sarah and her friends spoke to seemed to color with new, if fleeting, health. Eli had always admired and appreciated the close community he had at home in Nappanee with his friends and family around him, but he couldn't help being touched by this demonstration of love and care between strangers.

:--:--:--:

Sarah and Eli were the last to leave.

"It always makes me happy and sad to come here," Sarah suddenly stated pensively, too wrapped up in her emotions to feel shy about revealing them to the boy walking beside her.

"Really?" Eli replied.

Sarah nodded. "I'm glad we can help those people feel a little better, but I wish we could do it every day instead of just occasionally, and I wish every single one of them would get better. Once in a while I come back to play for them, and I find a bed empty, or occupied by someone else. Sometimes, it's because they got discharged. But other times…" she stopped, tears filling her voice. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned that. I'm always troubling you with my concerns, aren't I?" She laughed quietly.

"It's alright," Eli answered magnanimously. "I'm glad to hear them, if you want to share." And he was. Sarah was more interesting than anyone Eli had ever met before in his life. Her deep love for her deceased father and even for complete strangers intrigued Eli.

"Thank you." Sarah said simply.

After bidding farewell to Joanna the receptionist, who was working a double shift that day, they passed by the gift shop on their way out the door. Neither paid much attention to it, since Sarah had seen it often and Eli had no interest in gift shops, but a small commotion made them stop.

"Hey! Hey you—young man. Stop there!"

Sarah and Eli turned to see the gift shop proprietor calling after a boy in a gray sweater, his back facing the door.

"Whaddya want?" the youth replied, in a familiar, irritated voice.

Sarah froze and Eli's eyes popped open in surprise. _Levi?!_

"Where are you going with that get-well card? Thieves are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law here, no matter how old they are."

Levi Dewberry sneered. "I think you'd better have your eyes checked, old man. I'm not a thief. And this is hardly a get-well card. It's a CD. _My _CD." He shoved the accused item in the man's face. The storekeeper took a step back, reluctantly conceding through his body movements that the object was what the boy claimed it was. "You better watch what you say, or I'll sue you _and _this stinking hospital for hiring a blind and incompetent worker like you." With a flick of his wrist, Levi shoved the CD into his pocket before sauntering out the door, leaving a fuming storekeeper in his wake.

As soon as he stepped outside, he nearly ran over Elijah and Sarah, who were still staring at the scene before them in disbelief. A flicker of surprise lighted in Levi's eyes, then quickly snuffed itself out. "Hello," he drawled. "What are you two doing here this fine afternoon? Having a romantic stroll in the House of Death, are we?"

Eli ignored his cousin's barbs. "Levi," he said in a low, angry tone. "Why are you here? And what kind of tricks were you trying to pull in there?"

"Just having some fun, cousin. That old man was annoying me, standing there looking suspicious and stupid." Levi shrugged, deliberately side-stepping Eli's main question. "Stop looking down on me, Elijah Longacre. You know deep inside you're no better." Levi slid his eyes over to Sarah. "What would your Pa and Opa say if they knew you were out with a pretty girl…_alone_?"

Eli flushed angrily, and his hands involuntarily curled into fists. "Levi, watch what you let out of your mouth, or you may come to regret it."

"What? Is the great Elijah Longacre challenging me to a fight?" Levi glanced pointedly at his cousin's clenched fists.

Eli relaxed his hands. "No, Levi. I will not fight you—you know that. But any words spoken in haste and bad feelings may have serious consequences later. I only do not want you to regret what you say."

Levi snickered. "Yeah, right. You never cared two bits about me, little black sheep Levi. Stow it, Elijah. I'm done listening to you." He stuffed his hands into his pockets and moseyed out the hospital's double doors.

At his cousin's exit, Eli sighed and seemed to sag, leaning slightly against the wall for support.

"I'm…I'm very sorry for my cousin's behavior," Eli apologized to Sarah, unable to look her in the eye. "Levi has had an unhappy childhood, and he often acts out. I wish…" Eli paused, not quite knowing what to say.

But he had no need to say anything. Sarah had impulsively laid a hand on his arm and was looking up at him sympathetically, as she often did for Jenna when she was feeling down. But Elijah didn't know that. He could still see the angelic effect of the afternoon's volunteering work shining through Sarah's eyes.

"It's alright," she assured him, in the same tone she had used to talk to the patients. "We all know people like that. And it's not your fault that your cousin is…high-strung." Sarah petted his arm lightly, gave him a brief smile, then turned and walked away, out into the late Indiana afternoon. The golden-red sun blazed around her--a fiery halo of light. Sarah looked, though she did not know it, exactly like an angel.

After a brief pause, Elijah followed.


	22. Unwelcome History

"Sarah!" Leah exclaimed in surprise as she opened the front door to envelope her daughter in a hug. "Honey, I thought you were going to be at Jenna's place."

"It's Saturday, Mum," Sarah replied, raising an eyebrow. "I always play on Saturdays."

"Oh, that's right. How was it?"

"Pretty good. We tried that new quintet that Liz found at Warren's Music the other day. A bit shaky, but it worked out. Oh! I forgot. Mama, this is Elijah. He's Jenna's friend from Nappanee—he came with me to the hospital today." So saying, Sarah stepped aside to let Leah see, for the first time, the blond haired boy who had accompanied her daughter that day.

"Hello," Leah said automatically, with a friendly smile that slowly froze on her face. "Um…what was your name again, dear?"

"Elijah Longacre, Mrs. Logan. It is very nice to meet you." Eli gave a slight bow and stuck out a hand, which Leah shook as if in a dream.

"Mom? Mommy? Are you okay?" Leah snapped back into reality.

"Oh, yes, darling. I was just remembering—just thinking over some recipes in my head…Grandma's coming for dinner."

"Grandma's coming?" Sarah's eyes lighted up with pleasure when her mother nodded.

"But not for another couple hours or so, so there's no need to rush." Leah stepped back and held the door open for Eli, "Why don't you come in for something warm to drink? It's rather chilly out."

Obligingly, the teen entered first. But as Sarah started to follow, Leah laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Sarah, may I speak to you for a second?"

"Sure, Mum, what is it?" Sarah turned, curious.

"You're not…interested in that boy, are you?"

Sarah gaped at her. "_Mom! _Of course not!"

Leah sighed in relief. "That's…that's good, then. That's good." She gave Sarah a couple pats on the shoulder, offering no other explanation, then entered the house, leaving her daughter standing a little hurt and more than a little confused on the doorstep.

After Sarah had opened a package of cookies and poured out three mugs of steaming hot cocoa, she, her mother, and their guest seated themselves in the living room to chat.

"So," Leah said, after taking a sip of cocoa. "Elijah…Longacre, is it?"

"Yes, ma'am. But please call me Eli—all my friends and family do."

"Sarah mentioned that you are from Nappanee…are you Amish, then?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Leah nodded and stirred her cocoa. "I used to have some friends in Nappanee…it was a very long time ago, of course." Sarah looked surprised, as did Eli. But before either of them could ask Leah anything, she turned her attention back to Eli. "How long are you staying, Eli?"

"Not too long, I expect. My sister and I hope to contact our uncle before we leave."

Leah looked surprised. "How many siblings do you have?"

"Five, ma'am. Four sisters and a brother."

Leah looked wistful. "A big family, then. How nice. I've always been an only child—and so has Sarah. You are very blessed, Eli, to have so many brothers and sisters."

"Yes, I think so too."

Leah gazed at her chocolate meditatively, then asked, "What are your siblings' names?"

"There is Tillie, my eldest sister, and then Rebekah, Mary, Matthew, and Gabriella."

Leah smiled to herself. _Elijah, Rebekah, and Gabriella…so you still remember. _To Eli, she said, "I'm sorry if I appear too inquisitive. It's only that Sarah does not bring friends home very often, besides Jenna, of course—but I already know everything I want about that girl." She said it with a kindly laugh, and no one who heard her could doubt that Jenna was, in her opinion, a very sweet, lovable child—the perfect companion for her beloved daughter. She smiled at Elijah—a welcoming smile which, Eli noted, was almost identical to her daughter's—and offered, "if there's anything _you _would like to ask, by all means, feel free."

"Thank you," Eli smiled back. But before he could answer, the phone rang. Sarah jumped up, nearly spilling her cocoa, but her mother stood.

"I'll get it, dear. Why don't you stay and chat with Eli?" With that, Leah hurried into the kitchen, and presently, the ringing stopped.

"Hello?" Eli and Sarah heard faintly, and then Leah was chatting fluidly with someone on the other end. The teenagers turned back to their cocoa.

"It's not too sweet, is it?" Sarah asked, gesturing at the mug.

"Oh, no. It is perfect. Thank you." Eli smiled and took another sip.

Sarah smiled shyly back, but before either could say anything, Leah appeared in the doorway, one hand over the phone. "Sarah? It's Jenna. She'd like to talk to you."

With an apologetic look at Eli, Sarah took the proffered telephone from her mother. "Hey, Jenna?"

"Sarah!" came the ecstatic voice, slightly crackled by static, "I thought you'd be here. Rebekah and I just came back, and I was wondering whether you'd like to stay for dinner when you bring Eli back."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I can't," Sarah replied. "my grandma's staying for dinner, and I really don't want to miss her."

"Oh, pooh." Sarah heard her friend heave a sigh of regret over the line. "Well, next time, then."

"Alright," Sarah agreed. "That sounds good."

"Hey, listen—it's kind of late, so instead of you walking back here, my dad was thinking of driving over to pick Eli up. Okay?"

Sarah looked over her shoulder at her mother and Elijah, who were chatting comfortably in the living room. "Sure. Tell your dad thanks for us, alright?"

"Will do. Captain Jenna signing off now. Out."

Sarah laughed as she heard the click on the other line, then returned to the kitchen to replace the phone on its holder.

"What did she want?" Leah asked, once Sarah had returned.

"Oh, Jenna was just calling to say that her dad's coming over to pick Eli up, so we don't have to walk over there."

"That's nice of him," Leah replied.

Elijah stood up with his empty mug, and picked up Leah's as well. "Where should these go?"

"Oh, don't worry about those," Leah replied firmly, taking the mugs from her guest. "Let Sarah and me take care of them. Would you like to go wait out on the front porch? I don't think it will take Mr. Merkle very long to arrive."

Elijah looked as if he wanted to help somehow, but seeing that he couldn't, he quietly acquiesced to Leah's suggestion. "Thank you for the cocoa, Mrs. Logan," he said politely.

"You're very welcome, Eli," Leah answered.

The sky had turned a vague pinkish purple when Sarah saw her guest out to the porch. For a moment, the two could think of nothing to say to each other, so they stood in awkward silence, waiting.

"If you are still here next Saturday, would you like to come back and sing at the hospital again?" Sarah offered at last.

"I would be honored," Eli replied seriously, which made Sarah grin.

"It's a good thing you were here today, otherwise the chorus would not have sounded as good. Usually Arnold and Ben sing tenor together, but Ben's out sick, and Arnie's voice isn't strong enough to carry on its own. So, thank you."

Eli looked a little surprised. "Believe me, the pleasure was all mine. I've never…helped in a hospital before. It was an extraordinarily enlightening experience. I am glad I could be of assistance."

Sarah only smiled in response to this, and once again they lapsed into silence. But it was not an awkward silence, like before. Instead, there was a kind of familiar, companionable quality to it. And thus they remained until Mr. Merkle's glowing headlights pierced the inky darkness that was beginning to descend on the neighborhood, and took Elijah home.

:-----------:----------:----------:

"Mmm. Is that cocoa I smell?" were Roberta's first words upon entering the house.

"Grandma!" Sarah flung her arms around the elderly woman.

"Hello, precious." Roberta kissed both of Sarah's cheeks, then inhaled deeply. "Yep, definitely cocoa. Could there possibly be a mite left for a thirsty old woman?"

Leah laughed as she came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. "Plenty, Mom. Come help yourself."

"Yum." Roberta went to the stove, Sarah tagging along behind her, and began to ladle out some of the sweet brown drink. "Would you like some too, Sarah?"

"No thanks, Grandma, I already had a cup."

"Sarah brought a friend today, Mom," Leah explained, stirring a pot of soup. "We were just sharing a pot of cocoa."

"A friend? Boy or girl?"

"The former," Leah replied mischievously before Sarah could answer.

"Mom!" But it was too late. Sarah could tell instantly that her grandmother was going to take this in the wrong light.

"I see…" Roberta wiggled an eyebrow and sipped her cocoa daintily. "Is he handsome?"

Sarah groaned. "Grandma…"

"What's his name?"

Again, Leah answered before her daughter could. "Elijah…Longacre."

"Longacre?" Roberta started, and lowered her mug. "No."

Leah nodded. "Yes."

"Not _that _Longacre."

"Yes, _that _Longacre."

Roberta set the cocoa on the counter and turned to face her granddaughter. "Sarah, you're not…_interested_ in this boy, are you?"

"For goodness' sakes, no! Why does everyone keep asking me that? If you would only let me get a word in edgewise, Mom…And by the way, what's wrong with him, anyhow? What does '_that _Longacre' mean? Are you two keeping secrets from me?" Sarah crossed her arm and looked pointedly at her mother and grandmother.

"Oh, honey." Leah turned off the stove and sat at the dining table, pulling out a chair next to her, which Sarah rather unwillingly seated herself on. "Your grandma and I just want the best for you, you know that."

"But what does Eli have to do with anything? You don't think he's going to _hurt _me or anything, do you?"

"Well, no, dear, of course not. Not on purpose, anyhow."

Sarah furrowed her eyebrow. What did _that _mean? But her mother went on.

"We're just afraid that…well, he _is _Amish, after all."

Sarah stared. Was her mother… _prejudiced_? She could never have fathomed that her good, kind mother could be _biased _against the Amish!

Leah seemed to read her mind. "No, no, no. I have nothing against the Amish, Sarah. It's just that, I used to know them very…well, very intimately. Actually, I used to…know your friend Eli's father—Ethan Longacre—very well."

Roberta suppressed a snort. "She was in love with him, actually."

"_Mother!_" Leah shot Roberta a frosty glare, but it was too late. Sarah felt something like an iron band close around her chest. Her mind froze.

"You…loved…someone…before…Daddy?" She whispered.

Roberta looked stricken. If her face had been a page, the words _Uh-oh_ would have been scrawled over it in big, black letters.

Leah sighed. "We were teenagers. It didn't last very long. Ethan found that his community and his people were more important. I don't blame him, of course. If I were in his shoes, I would have done the same. In the end it all worked out. I met your dad, and then I had you, and I could not ask for more. But, I just don't want you to risk your emotions like that." Leah looked pleadingly at her daughter, as if willing her to understand.

Sarah was still in a state of shock. Then that girl…_Englischer _girl that Eli and Rebekah had mentioned…that had been _her own mother_? "I…I think I'm going to go out for a bit." She stood, dazed, and stumbled for the door.

"Sarah? Wait—it's cold outside, and you haven't eaten…!" Sarah faintly heard her grandmother's concerned voice call out to her, and her mother's quieter voice restraining her grandmother—"Let her be, Mom,"—as she hurried to the hall and removed her coat from the rack beside the door.

Sarah couldn't think…she didn't want to think just at that moment. She just wanted to go out. She sensed, instinctively, that some cold air would do her good.

:--------:----------:---------:

As soon as her daughter had left, Leah turned to Roberta, with an irate look on her face. "Mom!"

"Sorry, dear," Roberta patted Leah's knee apologetically. "I didn't know she'd take it that way."

Leah ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "Sarah's always been sensitive, Mom, you know that. The whole 'soul mate' idea is ingrained in her soul. She doesn't believe in more than one boy in a lifetime. Especially when it comes to ex-boyfriends."

Roberta sighed as well. "You're right, Leah. I'd just forgotten. I mean, it's normal for girls her age to…"

Leah shook her head. "Not Sarah, Mom. Sometimes I wish she _would _go on a date—nothing serious, you understand—but Sarah's always been too like her father. It's all or nothing for her. She'll never allow anyone's attentions unless she believes there's a commitment behind it. I can imagine how she felt when she found out her own mother didn't adhere to her principles."

Roberta snorted. "And what of her grandmother? A divorcee many times over."

"That's different, Mom. Sarah's only known you and Alan—" referring to Roberta's current husband, who had held that status for all of Sarah's life. "She doesn't really know about Neil, or my dad, or any of the others. But Ethan and I…"

Roberta patted Leah's hand again, unsure of what to say. "Where has she gone, do you think?"

"Just for a walk around the neighborhood," Leah stood to attend to the soup. "She used to disappear a lot after…well, after David died. She'll be alright. We just have to let her deal with things her own way."

"But when will she be back?"

Leah shrugged sadly. "When she's ready, I suppose."

:----------:---------:----------:

10


End file.
